Amazed
by TrueEnglishRose
Summary: They come from two different backgrounds and lifestyles, one simple, one fabulous, yet both know what it means to suffer. Can they face the future together and learn to let go of their demons? Can they find what it is to be Amazed?
1. Chapter 1

**This story is currently being edited to fall in line with this site's TOS and guidelines.**

**Each chapter will be put back up when edited.**

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**Many thanks,**

**Tammy x**

* * *

**EPOV**

"Ed-ward, it's time to get u-p."

No, no its not, I don't care what the little imp was planning, getting me to wake up in her over the top, high pitched sing-song voice would not get me up.

"Eddie?"

I gave her nothing.

"Ed?"

Again, zilch, nada, nothing.

"Eddie-kins, you have a skank of a red head next to you, smearing her hooker cheap make-up over your fuck knows how many thread count Egyptian white pillows. You may want to kick her ass out before I do. You're too polite to leave bruises, me on the other hand…"

Now this, this was what woke me up.

A one night stand I could deal with, but someone messing with my bedding, now that was a big no-no.

I gave out a slight groan as my eyes took in the harsh autumn sun, causing my head to pound, and then I made it worse by moving.

Why on earth did I drink so much last night?


	2. Chapter 2

I looked up a bit to see the imp twirling her too short, raven black hair between her fingers as she glared at me.

What did I do wrong this time?

"Lay it on me," I groaned again as I tried to move.

_Tried_ being the operative word as I was pinned to the bed by what looked like something that resembled a cave woman.

"Your path of destruction leads from Mayfair, where you decided to hit every bar along the way. You then travelled up Oxford Street and threw up in a garbage can, before you went along Piccadilly, where you thought it would be wonderful to piss on the doorstep of the Royal Academy of Arts," she paused to take a breath as I grimaced at the scene she was creating.

"Your journey continued along Regents Street where you thought it would be amazing to order everything off the menu at some dive of a take away place and then you walked all the way back through Hyde park, which makes no sense because you were walking around in a huge circle, to then ceremoniously throw up the _entire _contents of your stomach in the lobby of this fine hotel." She glared at me and if I wasn't already lying down, I would have dropped down dead.

She was pissed.

No, _beyond_ pissed.

"Finished?" I asked tentatively and cringed when a look of pure, unadulterated rage flitted through her eyes.

Dammit, I was fucked.


	3. Chapter 3

"Mr. Cullen," _Ah shit, I'm not Edward at the moment_, "bearing in mind that I'm your manager and my husband is your publicist, did it not occur to you that we work tirelessly to keep your image and profile in top form. For you to just go out and behave the way you did last night…" She got up off of the bed and started to pace around the bed, arms flailing about as she thought about the next words to use, words I was dreading to hear.

"Edward, please listen to me when I say that you can't carry on like this. Your reputation is going down the drain and bloody fast I might add." I snorted at her.

"What?!" She all but shrieked at me. I actually cowered and pulled the covers further up my body.

"Nothing really. I just thought it was a little funny to hear you use the word 'bloody' in an almost British tone."

"And? What's so funny about that?"

"We have only been here two weeks."

"Yeah, two weeks into a month stay and you have already brought home three skanks, been thrown out of two nightclubs and almost got into a fight with a pap. You pleaded with us to book you some time off, saying you needed a break. Look at you, Edward. When was the last time you even shaved?"


	4. Chapter 4

"I _do_ need a break Alice. I have done four films this year, fuck knows how many interviews, three red carpets, press junkets, charity work and the reason why the pap nearly got a broken nose was because he was insulting my mother. No one does that," I growled out with my own glare.

"Shaving?"

"Fuck knows," I replied as I ran my fingers over the scruff on my jaw. I actually heard it make a sound.

Yeah, maybe I did need to shave.

"We going to get rid of the skank?"

_Shit!_

"Oh, I-yeah," I looked over to her with puppy dog eyes.

I didn't have the strength or courage to deal with it this morning.

"Oh what? Seriously? You want me to kick her out?"

"Please?" I whimpered as her tone hit a nerve in my head.

"What's her name?"

_Double shit!_

"Vera… no… Veronica? Ha, Victoria!"

"Fine!" She huffed as I got out of the bed as quickly as my hangover would allow me to and made a dash to the bathroom.

Yes, I was hiding while my tiny cousin got rid of the trash.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Present day...**_

I say who, I say where, I say when.

I do what I like, when I like, with who I like, where I like.

That means I fuck how I like, when I like, where I like.

Don't get me wrong, I steer clear of married women and moms, but everything else is fair game.

Those are the only rules that I have in life and my life revolves around them.

That was until I got shipped out to this shit-hole place they called Forks.

Alice and Jasper were worried about my 'path of destruction' and shipped me out here to piss me off that little bit more.

So yeah, I'm here in this shit-hole, trying to get a break from work. It's been a good few years, but I even I had to admit that I needed a break.

I loved to work, be on set, get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of the production, but I drew a line at everything else.

I wanted to go home at the end of the day, have a drink, play a few games on a console or fuck some random girl stupid, but that wasn't happening so much now.

Well, the girls were always there, but everything else had disappeared.

Gone were family lunches and quick calls from my parents to say they loved me. It would have helped if I was sober long enough to actually answer the phone, but that's another issue altogether.


	6. Chapter 6

Emmett, my ass of a brother, walked out on his job with me a month or so back, stating that he couldn't see me like this anymore. No doubt he ratted on me to mom and that's the reason I was here.

It seemed that my family thought it would be good to intervene in my life and take control of it for me. Jasper took care of the press while Alice packed up my shit. I came home from a long ass day of shooting to find that a car was waiting to take my sorry ass to this place.

And I hated it. I hated it with a passion.

There was a plus side though.

The cook.

Damn, she was so fine; I could fuck that all the way to the moon and back, literally.

Ok, so she wore baggy clothes and looked shit scared of me half the time, but her eyes, wow, they were so deep, and I am not turning into a girl here, I still have a dick and all, but her eyes were beautiful.

I had imagined her countless times getting down on her knees for me and taking me into her mouth, looking up at me with her huge brown orbs.

Her hair was a chestnut color and hung a little wavy, right down to the top of her ass.

The visions I had of fucking her from behind and wrapping my fingers through that hair, brought me to climax every damn time.


	7. Chapter 7

I rubbed the heel of my hands into my eyes, I needed to stop thinking about her every five fucking minutes.

Walking around with an erection all day was starting to get painful, and if I took one more cold shower during the day, dad would be sending me off to the hospital for tests.

I rolled out of bed to take yet another shower. I think I must have the cleanest body in Washington State, shame about my mind though. With that girl around me, my mind would never be clean again.

An hour later, I had finally gotten dressed and made my way downstairs. Alice was due home from Paris today, and I had been ordered to make sure I was up and ready in time to go and get her.

I should have a fourth rule in life: _ Always listen to Alice_. If I didn't, it would only get me into trouble, or pain.

I hadn't really listened to her so far, but with her going all 'pregzilla' on my ass; I wasn't going to risk anything anytime soon. It was bad enough that I had to deal with Jasper being all mopey and shit without Alice around, so God knows what mood she was going to be in when she got here.


	8. Chapter 8

The smell of pancakes, muffins and bacon drifted around me as I opened the bedroom door.

Well fuck me sideways!

Six in the morning and she was here already, making sure there was breakfast on the table.

So far my plans to fuck her into oblivion hadn't worked, but I was upping the ante today.

I had been sweet, caring, shy and gentle.

You name it and I had played my best cards to get her to cave, but so far, I'd had no such luck.

Today I was going for possessive. I wanted to scream at her, scream that I wanted her, and that she was mine, scream that I would make her mine.

Maybe that's what she needed? She looked a little submissive, not in a kinky way, but maybe she just needed a little push in the right direction, by being told what to do.

I bounced a little down each step of the stairs and headed towards the kitchen, in a good mood.

I was sure that my plan would work, and I would have her caving in by the end of the day.

I would have her begging for me to fuck her and I couldn't wait.


	9. Chapter 9

I stopped in my place when I got to the kitchen doorway.

She was swaying her hips at the stove, singing lightly. Even though her jeans didn't fit her, I could still imagine the ass that hid under the denim was fantastic.

Mmm, round and soft, God, I wanted to dig my fingers into it as she moved on top of me, screaming out my name in pleasure.

_Where's your mama gone?_

_Little baby Don_

_Where's your mama gone?_

_Far, far away_

It was an old song for her to be singing, considering that she was pretty young, but she did it justice as she swayed.

_Where's your papa gone?_

_Little baby Don_

_Where's your papa gone?_

_Far, far away_

_Far, far away_

Her hips had me mesmerized, swaying gently from side to side. Damn. Her apple shaped ass, I wanted to bite it, devour every fucking ounce of it.

_Last night, I heard my mama singing a song_

_Ooh-We, Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep_

_Woke up this morning and my mama was gone_

_Ooh-We, Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep_

_Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep, Chirp_

I tiptoed over to her as she moved to the other counter. God I wanted those legs to wrap around me. Her voice was like bells, chiming in the wind.

_Where's your mama gone?_

_Little baby Don_

_Where's your mama gone?_

_Far, far away_

I stood there, trying to urge my massive cock to keep down. Nothing seemed to do the trick, until I finally thought the 'dreaded' thought.

My Grandmother.

_Where's your papa gone?_

_Little baby Don_

_Where's your papa gone?_

_Far, far away_

_Far, far away_

I chuckled to myself that she hadn't noticed me yet.

_Last night, I heard my mama singing a song_

_Ooh-We, Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep_

_Woke up this morning and my mama was gone_

_Ooh-We, Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep, Cheep_

_Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep….._

Clearing my throat silently, I moved behind her, finally announcing myself.


	10. Chapter 10

"Oh, don't stop on my account," I chuckled as I pressed my erection into the small of her back.

She gasped in shock as I slowly placed my hands on either side of her, onto the counter.

"I quite like seeing your ass sway about, it's mesmerizing," I continued, as I brought the scruff on my jaw, slowly up her bare neck.

Her body shivered against mine and it felt wonderful. I wanted to give her feather light kisses down her neck, but I stopped short of that.

My plan was to give her a little and leave her wanting more.

"Mr. Cullen?" her soft voice quivered as she called me, but I didn't want _that_ name. I wanted to hear her call me _Edward_.

"It's Edward, call me Edward," I whispered into the shell of her ear, earning yet another shiver from her.

"Edward," she whispered, her voice was soft, and God did it make me want to come right there.

"Bella," I replied huskily, pressing my erection against her again. I brought one hand from the counter and held onto her hip.

It was small, but perfect.

"Do you have any idea how much I want you?" I continued. I wanted to grab her by the waist and spin her around. I wanted to see her eyes as I plowed into her, hard and fast. I wanted to hear how wet she was as I thrust deep into her, hearing her moan with delight as she came, over and over because of me.

"Edward, _please_." Bingo! I knew she wanted me.

She just needed a little push.


	11. Chapter 11

11. 175

"Please what, Bella?" I ground my hips into her a little. God, it felt like heaven. I could just imagine how she would move while I fucked her tight little hole.

"Please, _don't_," she broke through my hold and moved to the other counter, just leaving me standing there.

Once I registered what had happened, I wanted to scream at her, call her every name under the sun, but the family was making their way downstairs for breakfast.

I would deal with her later.

No one said no to me.

She was just a fucking cock tease.

"Fine," I spat at her quietly, "and here's me thinking I would do you a favor, it's not like anyone else would look at you, you're only the fucking cook. I mean, I see how you look at Jasper, so maybe it's him you want. Is that what you do, go after married men? Will it be Emmett next? Its sick, you know that?"

I finished my rant with her and stormed out of the room, slamming the door after me.


	12. Chapter 12

12. 206

I was livid.

How dare she turn me down!

Women flocked to me, fall at my feet wanting to be with me, and here she was, knocking me back.

I never get knocked back.

Fuming, I strode into the dining room where the rest of my family now sat.

"Rough night?" mom whispered to me as I slumped down into the chair.

"Rough morning actually." I realized my tone was still a bit harsh as I answered her and instantly apologized. It wasn't her fault I was in this mood.

"Aw, did Eddie-kins not get his leg over last night?" Emmett grunted out a laugh.

He knew I wouldn't have, I didn't fucking go anywhere. Even if I could get out of this house, there was nowhere to fucking go anyway.

"Shut the fuck up," I growled back at him as I glared at his whipped ass.

"Language, Edward," my father reprimanded me as he looked up from his paper, towards his young grandchildren.

"Sorry," I mumbled. I wasn't sorry, not in the slightest, but I had to say something to avoid the wrath of Rose.

What is it with the women in my life being a bunch of fucking bitches? The only exception was mom.


	13. Chapter 13

13. 205

"So, come on Edward, what's got your panties in a twist today?" Rose sighed, as she fed Sarah in the highchair. She was a cute kid and I was glad to play uncle, when I had the time; but I didn't want kids.

I didn't _like_ kids in general; I mean I was one once, so I should know, right?

They came with too many responsibilities. I wanted to have fun, not to be tied down.

Conversations went on around me after I ignored Rose's question, but I tuned them all out.

My mind was with Bella in kitchen.

For the two weeks that I had been here, I had seen her every day.

She smiled at me, flirted possibly, and cooked my favorite meals. I had thought she wanted me.

In reality, she was just a cock tease.

Maybe that's what she wanted in life, to just tease.

Act all innocent and have men begging for it and then right when you thought you were going to score, she blew you off.

Well that's a sick form of foreplay.

The level of my anger was rising the longer I sat at the table. I couldn't actually understand the reason.

She was just the _cook._


	14. Chapter 14

14. 167

Bella came in a few minutes later with the rest of the breakfast stuff and I ignored her.

I didn't look up from my plate whatsoever.

_She wanted to play bitch?_

_Well, two could play at that game._

"Why don't you sit down and eat something, Bella, you have been here since four this morning," Mom spoke quietly to her.

_She had been here since four? When the hell did she sleep?_

"I'm fine, thank you, Mrs. Cullen," she quietly whispered.

"How did we get back to 'Mrs. Cullen'?" Mom asked in shocked.

It was so hard to not raise my head to look at them. _Was Bella blushing? Biting her lip? _

Whatever was spoken silently, it passed quickly enough between the two women.

"Rose, I just wanted to remind you that today's my last day," Bella said timidly.

"You're leaving?" I spluttered out as I looked at her. _Why was she leaving? Was she going on to another job? Could I pay her more to stay?_


	15. Chapter 15

15. 219

"Yes," she answered me in a small voice without looking at me, and then turned her attention back to Rose.

"I have left some dinners in the freezer that should do you for a couple of weeks, I ordered your groceries online and they will be delivered tomorrow for you, the recipe cards are in the top left cupboard next to the stove and there is also a batch of the kid's food in the freezer for you."

_She did all of that, for us?_

_She had only been here two weeks, how the hell did she have the time to do all of that?_

Just as I was about to ask, Alice walked in the door.

_Alice!_

"What are you doing here; I was supposed to be picking you up," I asked her, dumbfounded as I looked at my watch.

"Yeah, like I could rely on you, A-hole. Jasper picked me up." As I said; pregzilla.

I looked back to Bella, but she looked like she was caught in a set of headlights.

Her head was frantically shaking to and fro as she looked at us all; her eyes were as wide as saucers.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here?"

My head spun back to Alice, as she glared at Bella.

_What the fuck was going on?_


	16. Chapter 16

16. 218

"Ali-," Bella looked as though she had seen a ghost.

"I asked what the fuck you were doing here?" Alice growled and looked dangerous, really, really, dangerous.

"I-I," Bella continued to stutter.

"Ali baby, let's go in the den for a minute, think of the baby and calm down a little bit," Jasper put his hand on Alice's shoulder and she instantly melted into his side. He led them out of the room, leaving us all just sitting there.

"I need to go," Bella whispered and it looked like she was holding back the tears. She turned on the spot and fled out of the room.

"I don't know what the hell is going on," Rose hissed at me, "but you are going to go and fix it while I deal with Alice and Jasper," Rose finished and stood up from her chair.

I got up out of my chair quickly and walked into the kitchen. Bella was flitting about, putting stuff back into her bag.

"Bella, what's going on, why are you leaving? And what was all of that with Alice?" I questioned, moving to stand next to her.

"I have to go, I'm sorry, but I can't stay here, I'm not welcome," Bella sputtered.

Her skin was a deathly shade of white.

I didn't like it.


	17. Chapter 17

17. 175

"Don't be stupid, of course you're welcome here, what is it, money? You want more? I can pay that."

If that's what it came down to, I would pay any amount to have her near me. I know she brushed me off, but more time around me might make her warm up a little. I would do anything to get a chance with her.

"Is that what you think it is? Money? Of course, money solves all of your problems, any issue comes up, and you pay to make it go away." Her words were harsh and they shocked me, a lot.

I could hear the venom in her words as she spat them at me.

"Did you not think that I have other things to do, other jobs, other responsibilities? No, of course you didn't, because you are the center of your own little world and you think of nothing but yourself." Her eyes were glaring at me, as I stood there, stunned. She was so little and innocent, until you crossed her apparently.


	18. Chapter 18

18. 238

"Honestly, Mr. Cullen, what have you ever given up, sacrificed? I can tell you. _Nothing_. You walk into a room and people flock to you, you get what you want, without even working for it. Do you even bother to think about anyone but yourself? I bet you don't. You said to me a little while ago, that I was just a cook. That's true, I am. But you have no idea what else I do, what I have had to do, what I have to live with. You want to know about Alice? I'll tell you. I was the biggest bitch to her ever. I called her every name under the sun; I slapped her and told her to get out of my life. I was nasty and cruel and I have had to live with what I did every damn day of my life. Money can't pay for that to go away, it won't solve anything. You wanted a piece of this," she stopped mid rant to wave her hands around her body.

"Would you still want it, if you knew I was broken, damaged? I don't think you would. You asked me if I knew how much you wanted me. Would you still want me if I told you I have a daughter, not just a baby, but a girl that turns seven next month?" I gasped a little, as tears rolled down her cheeks.


	19. Chapter 19

19. 236

"That's right, Mr. Cullen, she's _seven_. I was just coming up to my fourteenth birthday when I had her. I couldn't even carry her to term, that's how damaged I am. If I wasn't screwed up enough, it had to be shoved in my face that I couldn't even protect her from inside me. I was abused, beaten and left pregnant and alone at _thirteen_, while I sent my best friend away."

I was frozen listening to her. I didn't know what to say or how to react.

"I knew _he _wanted her, so I sacrificed everything to keep her safe. You think I liked to treat her like that? Just after her parents were killed? I hated it, I hated myself for what I did and what I had to go through. I wanted it to end, but I couldn't do it, I couldn't end it for myself while a tiny baby needed me."

Her breath hitched as she fought the breakdown that had to be coming.

"My mother called me a slut and I haven't seen my father since the day I was taken into the hospital. My best friend hates me because I tried to save her and I am left with nothing but a little girl, who has no idea why her mommy finds it hard to smile or laugh. So you tell me, you still want me now, can any of your money fix any of _that_?"


	20. Chapter 20

20. 258

I stood there shocked. What else could I say or do? Bella furiously wiped the tears that were now spilling from her eyes, as she picked up her bag to leave.

I wanted to stop her, but I didn't know how.

I was glued to the spot and I was helpless.

She walked passed me slowly and I could hear her breath catch as she tried to get her emotions under control.

I don't know how I managed it, but I followed her to the front door. She opened it, but stood there for a minute.

When she spoke, it was the softest I had ever heard her speak and it sent chills down my spine.

"You think I want Jasper? That I go after married men? I am _scared _of him, Edward, that's all."

As she walked through the threshold, she turned back to me, "Ask Alice about James and you might be able to understand why." With that, she walked out of the door, down the steps and got into her beat up truck.

I heard a sniffling sound coming from behind me, so I turned around.

Everyone was standing there.

Their faces showed all signs of horror, anger and disbelief, but it was Alice's that hit me hardest.

She was heartbroken.

Tears were streaming down her face and her body was shaking, trying hard to keep back the sobs. It looked like Jasper was keeping her upright.

We stood there, in silence, as Bella made her way down the drive. None of us could move.


	21. Chapter 21

21. 218

**APOV**

I was stunned.

No I wasn't, I was crushed.

After all these years, I thought she truly hated me and that wasn't the case at all.

She had saved me.

James had been her next door neighbor when we were kids. James and his girlfriend, Victoria, had moved in when he got a job with Charlie, Bella's dad and Victoria had been our babysitter.

Several times they both stayed at Bella's house when our parents were working and I was always a little creeped out by how James would look at me, but I always brushed it off.

_James._

Edward thought that Bella wanted Jasper, but she didn't.

He just reminded her of James.

I must admit, they didn't look alike, but I suppose with the blonde hair and blue eyes, she would have thought the worst.

I rushed to the door where she had just fled from.

She couldn't just say all of that to us and then just run, she had to stay and talk to me, she had to tell me what she went through, she had to let me help her.

"Baby?"

"Let me go Jas, I have to go after her, I can't just let her go, not now," I pleaded against his arms as I tried to fight my way out of them.


	22. Chapter 22

22. 248

"Baby, just let her go. Let her calm down for a little while and then go and see her. This has been a lot for you to take in and by the look on her face, it was a lot for her to say." He held onto me tightly as he whispered gently.

"I want to go to her…I want to talk…to…to…hug her, she needs me Jas. I was so…cruel to her!" I broke down.

There was nothing left to do but cry.

I sank to the floor, still in my husband's arms and cried out everything I had left in me.

How could I have let her go through all of this on her own?

I was woken gently by the soothing notes filtering through from the music room. I raised my head and I saw that I was on one of the couches and realized Jas must have put me here.

I rubbed my sore eyes and tried to get them to focus, but didn't manage it very well.

All I could do was try and relax as Edward played his beautiful tunes.

He was so talented, he was just off his chosen path.

He needed us, his family, to guide him back to the path and to stay on it.

A small sob escaped my lips as I thought about the path that Bella was _made _to take.

She was only thirteen when it happened?

A mom at fourteen?

How did she get through that?


	23. Chapter 23

23.178

**EPOV**

The day passed quietly and I took myself off to the music room.

If I felt lost or needed comfort, then music was my savior.

Dinner passed in silence, no one wanting to say anything that would upset Alice any more than what she was already.

The only reason she sat at the table was because Jasper guilted her into eating for the sake of the baby.

Just after Rose cleared the table, I went to go back into the music room, but the doorbell ringing stopped me in my tracks.

_Was it Bella? Had she forgotten something?_

I felt almost depressed when mom answered the door to find a man standing there looking miserable.

He was short and balding, but he certainly gave off the 'don't fuck with me' vibe. His suit was expensive, so I knew he meant business.

"Good evening, how can we help you?" mom asked as we all walked towards the door.

"I'm trying to find a Miss Alice Brandon?" His tone was hard, but caring, as he looked at each of us.


	24. Chapter 24

24.251

Alice walked passed me to stand next to mom and acknowledged that she was who he was looking for.

Jasper was instantly at her side. He was a good judge of character and there must have been something to set off his alarm bells.

Alice had come to us when she was only thirteen. She was some relative, a second cousin once removed or some shit, but she was like a sister to me.

The only snag with her coming to us was that Jasper had to come too. Alice was in care for a week or so while the paperwork was sorted out, but she refused to go anywhere without Jasper. He had been in and out of care all of his life and was certainly rough around the edges when he came to us, but mom worked her charm on him and soon he was like another brother to me.

Jasper and Alice had married right out of school. Their graduation party acted as their wedding reception and they got married the very next day.

A bit twisted, thinking about your brother and sister getting married, but who cares? They loved each other and that's all that matters.

"It's changed to Whitlock now, but you can call me Alice," she said politely as she showed him to a chair.

"I'm Mr. Jenks and I'm representing Bella and Ali-Mae Swan." A small gasp escaped Alice and then she nodded in understanding as he got some papers out of his briefcase.


	25. Chapter 25

25.218

"Alice, when Alice Marie was born, Bella stated that if anything were to happen to her, you would care for her, am I right?" He quirked an eyebrow to her as her face filled with fear.

"What's happened? Where's Bella?" Alice's voice quivered painfully as it hit home with all of us that something must have happened for him to be here.

"I thought you would have known, but obviously not. Bella was in an accident on the main road through Forks this morning. She's currently in hospital in Seattle," he said grimly and I looked towards Emmett. He gave me a swift nod and left the room, with Rose following after him.

As soon as this Jenks guy left, we would be going to the hospital.

"To be honest sir, I don't know. I haven't spoken to her since I left eight years ago. Until a few hours ago, I didn't even know she _had_ a daughter." Alice's voice started to choke at this point and Jasper's hold on her waist tightened. It was amazing to see how much love this couple had, even if they were young.

"Well, you were certainly named as Ali-Mae's next of kin if something was to happen to Bella." His eyes glanced over his paperwork again and he nodded to himself.


	26. Chapter 26

26.228

"Where is she?" Jasper spoke up as he rubbed Alice's belly. She was only four months gone, but as she was small framed, she was showing already. It suited her.

"And you are?" Jenks asked, his tone was harsher than what he had talked to Alice with, but it didn't affect Jasper in the slightest.

"Jasper, I'm Alice's husband."

"Ali-Mae? She's been at summer camp for the last few weeks. She was actually due back home tomorrow, but Maggie, the Swan's support worker, has gone to get her. She should be here in the next few hours." His reply was solemn.

"What do we need to do, for Ali-Mae I mean?" Jasper wasn't my publicist for nothing. He knew ways to get things sorted out for me in a matter of moments and he was always on the ball, this would be no different.

"We just have some paperwork here for temporary guardianship for you to sign, Alice. If the situation _changes_, there will be another set of papers to sign."

"It won't change. Bella will pull through, I know she will." Alice had a fire burning in her eyes.

She was determined that Bella would pull through, so we had to go with that. Never bet against Alice, especially if it was something that she wanted to happen.

She would make it happen, come hell or high water.


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They signed the papers and Jenks filled Alice and Jasper in on a few things before he left, offering his prayers for Bella as he went.

The room fell silent once again as we pondered what had transpired with Jenks.

"Mr. Cope's wife is coming over to stay with the kids while we go to the hospital," Rose said softly as she hovered by the sitting room door.

We all felt helpless.

"She was our school secretary when I lived here," Alice sniffed as she stood up, "she's a good woman," she finished talking as she grabbed her bag and walked towards the front door.

"Edward, go with the 'rents and Alice and Jasper. We'll wait for Mrs. Cope and join you in a bit," Emmett said firmly, but I shook my head.

"Emmett, it won't do us any good if I go there. Paps will be all over the place," I murmured as mom sighed.

"This is family, _Bella _is family. You will be going there, Edward. We'll just have to do some damage control and security checks if anything arises," she said with pure determination in her voice.

I sighed as I stood up and grabbed my jacket.


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Over the next few hours, I tried my hardest not to think about anything. I blocked out all conversations on the journey to Seattle and when we got to the hospital.

All I could think about was how she behaved around me, her nervousness and the little flashes of fear that flitted through her eyes if I got too close.

I had thought she was just a nervous person, but it all made sense now.

I was so angry with myself.

I was such a dick.

I was never like this when I was younger, I _did _have respect for women, mom had raised me right, but somewhere amongst all of the fame and glory, I lost that part of who I was.

I had never felt more sick that when I realized that.

It made the hours that dragged by even slower as people came and went in the waiting room.

I was starting to freak out a little; surely it wouldn't take them this long to give us some news.

I had lost count on the amount of times I had paced the same spot, over and over.


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It was dark outside when my very tired looking dad poked his head into the room. Alice and Rose were asleep against their partners, while mom was downstairs grabbing some coffee.

Dad moved his head to indicate to follow him, so I moved my stiff body out of the room and followed him into an office off of the main corridor.

"Dad, what's wrong, how bad is it?" I asked in a rushed breath. _Did I actually want to know? Would he give me information that would cripple me or make me feel lighter?_

Not that I deserved it.

"Edward, sit down please." _Oh God, it was bad. I knew that line, I knew that look on his face. _My heart sank as my stomach twisted painfully.

"Dad please, just tell me."

"Edward, she has sustained multiple life threatening injuries. She has fractured both the radius and ulna on both sides, she has a fractured sternum and clavicle-,"

"In English, please," my voice was strained as I pleaded with him. If she wasn't going to make it, I needed him to just tell me.

"Fine son, she has broken both of the bones in her lower arms, the bones in her chest, her right knee is shattered, she's broken her left ankle, the ribs she broke pierced her left lung and liver and she has a severe swelling on her brain…"


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He carried on listing her injuries, but I tuned him out. She wouldn't make it and it was my fault.

I had pushed her. I pushed her into a situation where the only thing she could do was run.

How could I be so egotistical and such a big shot that I had pushed her into that accident?

I caused this on her and I would pay the price for eternity if she didn't pull through.

She _had _to pull through.

She couldn't leave her little girl without a mother.

She just couldn't.

"…If she pulls through the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours, she might make it. It will be one hell of a recovery, but she has been through so much already, she's a fighter." Dad finished and I just looked at him.

I didn't know what to say.

"Edward, I know what you're thinking. While you certainly didn't _help_ matters, it's not your fault. There's only so much someone can take, either physically or mentally and she had just reached her limit mentally. You have to remember that, out of fear and stress, she stopped living eight years ago. I don't know anything except what she told us, but it doesn't take much to see how she would have dealt with it all. Everything halted for her and for you to push her mentally; you made her see things differently. You made her snap and open up, that's a huge thing to deal with." He sighed sadly as my body slumped.


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"Yeah, but in pushing her mentally, I'm now pushing her physically. When did I forget who I was dad? When did I forget how you and mom raised me? When did I turn into such an ass?" I realized that through the stress, I had been pulling at my hair, painfully.

I scoffed.

Pulling my hair was painful, yet here was Bella, waiting on death's door in so much pain that they had to put her in a medically induced coma. That she would be in so much pain, she would die through the shock of it all if the doctors didn't step in.

"Son, you're still there. You're still the man we raised, you just got lost a little. You still have your principles, you just need to find your way again. Look, this has been a huge wake up call for you and you need to use this time to find out what you really want for the future. You have been at this game for a long time and it's starting to show. Maybe now's the time for you to really look at your life's choices." He clasped me on the back at it took everything in me to not shake him off.

I didn't deserve any sympathy or compassion from him.


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I knew what he was saying and I understood him completely. It had been a long time coming and I knew that I was tired of this life.

On my last set, I was keeping myself awake during the day by drinking energy drinks and making myself sleep at night by drinking vodka or JD.

I was abusing my body constantly and risking it all by sleeping with whomever I wanted as long as it was sex. I let the fame go to my head and I knew that it needed to stop.

This wasn't me, not the real me anyway.

I was brought out of my deep thoughts by a knock on the office door. Dad called whoever it was in and I was shocked to see Alice standing there, shaking.

In all the years that I had known her, I'd never seen her in this state.

"Alice?" I shot up out of the chair to her side. Jasper was standing just outside the office looking heartbroken.

He hated to see Alice like this more than I did.


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"She's on her way, Ali-Mae, that is. Edward, how could I not know everything that went on? She has a daughter!" She broke down in my arms and then I realized how close they used to be. I could see the fear in her eyes for her best friend and I felt ripped apart.

"Alice, she will pull through and you will get to heal the bridges. In the meantime, you have to focus all your strength on that little girl of hers. She is going to be scared and confused. You need to be there for her and I will be there too." Of course I would be.

I had things to heal with Bella also. I was determined that if I was given the chance, I would make it up to her.

I didn't care what I did, I would make it right.

"When did you get so wise?" She let out a small giggle against my chest as I felt her hot tears seep through the fabric of my shirt.

"When I realized that it had to take something like this to see how out of control I let my life get." I pulled her away from me slightly and wiped the tears from her cheeks just as there was another knock on the door.


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Dad answered it and we all moved a little more into the room as the new people walked in. A lady walked in looking just as heartbroken as Alice did and I was wondering if this was Bella's mother.

That fact was quickly dismissed as she looked nothing like her and considering the harsh words Bella had used earlier on to describe her mother, I couldn't see her turning up anytime soon.

No, this lady was their support worker, I knew that. She was a dumpy little woman with fiery red hair, but a caring and gentle face.

"I'm Maggie O'Brien, Bella and Ali-Mae's support worker," she said as she motioned towards a little girl standing behind her.

My eyes roamed over to the little girl and I felt the air rush out of my body. She was a carbon copy of Bella. Everything was exactly the same, even the sprinkling of freckles over the bridge of her button nose.

"Oh my god, you look just the same as your mom!" Alice gushed as she skipped over to the little girl. She knelt down to her level and smiled at the shy little dot. I could tell that it was an act with Alice. Not in a harsh way, she was just putting on a brave face for Ali-Mae.

"Hey sweetheart, I'm Alice, your mom's best friend."

"I know," she replied quietly.


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"Did Maggie tell you that?" Alice asked quietly. She looked as though she was desperate to wrap this small girl up in her arms, but no doubt she was scared to upset or frighten the little girl in front of her..

"No, my momma did." The girl placed her thumb in her mouth and looked at Maggie.

Maggie gave a watery smile and the girl took a step closer to Alice so that they were nearly nose to nose.

She took her thumb from her mouth and smiled at Alice before she cocked her head to one side.

She looked as if she was thinking really hard before giving Alice another dazzling smile.

"Momma said that when I was born, I had blue eyes and black hair that stood up all over the place. That's why she called me Ali, because I reminded her of you." She reached up and ran her tiny fingers over Alice's spiky hair and that was enough to turn Alice into a jumbling wreck.

Maggie had taken Alice, Jasper and Ali into a family room for them to get to know each other. She wanted to keep things as normal for Ali as possible and Alice agreed.

Ali had been quite open with Alice from the start, but she was definitely wary of Jasper, just like her mom.

That reminded me of what Bella had told me. She said that she was just scared of Jasper and I wondered why.

Jasper was the most softest and gentle natured person I had ever known, so I reminded myself to ask Alice about Bella's words later.

Mom had booked us all into a hotel, just a block away, so she was there at the moment getting the kids settled with Emmett.

Ali had met the rest of the family and even managed to smile at Emmett when he did something stupid with a deck of cards.

He was always the joker of the family, but deep down he was serious and dedicated.


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In the early hours of the following morning, dad took us to see Bella.

Rose had gone back to get the kids and they were now at a hotel with Emmett. Ali-Mae had gone back to the hotel with Rose to get to know the kids and for Rose to get her to bed. The hospital was no place for a little kid. She wanted to see her mom, but dad thought it would be too much for the moment.

She was upset about it, but mom talked to her gently about why now wouldn't be a good time. I wouldn't say that she understood, she seemed too young for that, but she gave in.

We all had to get dressed in yellow gowns, masks and gloves before we went in to see Bella and I was shitting myself over what I would see.

Walking into Bella's room in the ICU department was the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

Her battered and bruised body was lying limp on the hospital sheets and if it weren't for her bruises, she would be as pale as them.

Both of her legs were in plaster, as were her arms. Her head was bandaged up and there were fuck knows how many tubes and wires coming from her frail body.

Her eyes were taped shut and her head was at a funny angle because of the tube coming out of her mouth.

Dad walked us further into the room, foregoing the 'two person only' rule for the time being.


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He explained carefully to us what each machine was and why there was a certain tube in a certain place, but I didn't take much in.

All I could see was Bella's broken body lying on the bed.

My eyes couldn't move to anywhere else but her.

All the times I had seen her, she wore baggy clothes. Seeing her like this, how thin she was, scared me.

"She looks too thin, when was the last time she ate anything?" I blurted out to no one in particular.

"Certain levels in her body are lower than average and she is certainly anemic, but we have her on drips to combat those problems. She will need to see a physical therapist and a nutritionist if she pulls through," Dad murmured.

"_When_, it's _when_ she pulls through," Alice bit out harshly.

"_When_," We all agreed.


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We had only been sitting by her bed for a few hours, yet it felt like days.

We all seemed to be in different states of drowsiness due to the hypnotic motions of the machines and their regular beats.

Heart monitor, ventilator, oxygen sats et cetera… We had learnt them all by now.

Nurses were in every fifteen minutes and talked their way through their routines.

Whether it was for their benefit, or ours, I didn't know. As long as the signs were good and she was still fighting, I really didn't care.

Mom brought Ali back to the hospital as soon as she was awake this morning.

Apparently, she was just as headstrong as Bella was at her age, according to Alice.

It was nice to see Alice smile again.

Alice had taken Ali to the hospital's cafeteria a little while ago to get a break from this room. At first she had refused to go, but Alice is as stubborn as that little girl and ended up winning.

Rose and Emmett were taking turns sitting with Bella and going back to the hotel to see how the kids were doing. Mom was doing what she did best, mothering everyone, and dad was talking to various doctors and security companies.

I hadn't seen Jasper for God knows how long, but from what I had picked up in the general conversations, he was talking to a judge in the area about getting the press to stay away from here.

I just hoped it worked.


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Maggie was also here with us. She was a scary woman and several times I feared for the lives of the hospital staff.

When she barked orders, she expected them to be done there and then, and God help the person if they didn't do it.

"You know, you're a little scary," I tried to joke through my tiredness.

"It gets things done, doesn't it? I want what's best for Bella and Ali-Mae when they are here; they have been through enough already." The passion I saw coming out of her eyes was breathtaking.

She was like a mother to the two girls and was fiercely protective of them.

"Maggie, how bad was it, for Bella, I mean?" Half of me didn't want to know the answer, but I had to ask anyway.

"I can't tell you much, Edward. We have patient confidentiality to respect, but it was bad. Think about it, life is hard enough for any new mother. Babies don't come with instructions or manuals, Edward. Add in the fact that Bella was just shy of her fourteenth birthday and you have a situation that is out of control. She also had to go through court, facing that man; it was too much for her."

"She told me about her mom not being there for her, but what about her dad, why wasn't he around for her?"

"I have spoken with Alice about this, so I know I can tell you. Bella didn't want her dad near her. She was afraid of what he would say to her. Bella's mom, well let's just say that it would be unprofessional of me to use the words I want to, to describe her mother." That fierce look in her eyes was back and I shuddered.

"Yeah, Bella said that her mom called her a slut."

"That was one of the tamest names she used. Bella was afraid that Charlie, her dad, would say the same about her. She was always closest to Charlie, so it would have broken her beyond anything to hear those words from him, so she cut him out before he had a chance." She looked upset.

"Would he? Would he have said anything?"

"No, he wouldn't have. He was heartbroken, Edward, but he understood. He was also blaming himself for what had happened. He was the Chief of Police and he didn't even know what was going on, under his own nose. He has lived with that guilt ever since."

"Surely he must have tried to contact her, talked to her?"

"He tried, but let's just say that when Bella makes up her mind, she sticks to it." She let out a sad giggle and then looked over to Bella.

"She's a lot like Alice then."

"You have no idea. Honestly, I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when they grew up together. It would have been hilarious to watch."

We fell silent again and watched the nurses flitter in and out of the room.


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I will admit that I am not the most patient man on the planet, but in all the time I spent in Bella's room, I didn't look at the clock once. I didn't take in what time of day it was, I didn't bounce my legs, I didn't do anything. Several times I drifted off to sleep in the chair, but jumped awake as soon as I heard one of her alarms going off, or someone coming in or out of the room.

The family drifted in and out during the day, all of them urging me to go back to the hotel, but I refused. I wasn't going to leave her side until I saw her eyes open.

I owed her that much.

I could give her company while she was here.

I didn't say that to the family though. I just told them that it would be easier to stay here because then the press wouldn't see me come and go. They all seemed somewhat happy with my explanation, all except Alice.

She had a glint in her eye that I didn't like very much.


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Bella had crashed twice since being in the ICU.

It was the most gut wrenching thing to witness as we were thrown out of the room.

It was even harder to pinpoint the emotions on the doctors and nurses faces when they came out of that room, trying to work out if Bella was still with us.

By late afternoon, Bella had to go back into the OR.

She had a portion of her skull removed to release pressure that had built up due to her head injury and swelling, but the doctors had also found a small bleed on the brain that was causing her to crash.

The operation would take at least a few hours and that would only be the case if they didn't have any problems.

Alice used this information to jump on me.

"Edward, we're going back home to grab some things and you need to come with us."

"No, Alice. I'm staying here. I don't want the press to get pictures of me coming and going from here and if you're all going home, someone needs to be here for when Bella comes back."

Someone had to be here for her.


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"Edward, you also need to spend some time with Ali. She's wondering why you won't leave her mother's side and I don't know what to tell her. We're going to take the helicopter back to the house since the hospital has been kind enough to let us use their helipad. We will only be gone for a few hours; we should be back in time for when Bella gets back." I was having a hard time agreeing, even if I could see the sense in her words. What if Bella crashed while in surgery? Who would they tell?

"Look," she kept on, unaware of my inner turmoil, "I don't want to go any more than you do, but we have to look after ourselves if we're to look after Ali and Bella, do you understand me?" Her look was pleading and I couldn't say no.

"A quick shower back home, clean clothes and then I'm coming back." I was determined to be away from here as little as possible.

"We also have to go to Bella's place to grab some things for Ali. I'll get her new stuff here, but a few home comforts can't hurt."

"Of course, Alice. God, this is going to get so confusing. Alice and Ali." I chuckled darkly.

Alice didn't listen though. She was staring at me, then at Bella's bed.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," she smirked at me as she kissed my cheek and led me out of the room.


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Alice, Jasper, Ali and I had a tense time in the chopper back home. Ali kept looking at me in a strange way and none of us knew what to say to her.

She was scared, tired and was in a small space with strangers and I really felt for her.

Although I had a niece and nephew, this was the first time I had ever wanted to scoop up a child and hug away their fears.

And that frightened the shit out of me.

Remember, I didn't like kids.

We landed at the house and Mr. Cope, our caretaker, had a car already waiting to take us to Bella's place.

I had no idea what to expect when we got there, but what my eyes saw was nothing compared to what my heart felt.

It was a single room and a half bathroom off to the side. One wall had peeling wallpaper on it and the others were painted a sea green color, but not modern.

No, this looked like something from the seventies.

The only furniture in the room was a small bed and a sofa, plus a small table with a tiny box of a TV and VCR on it.

The only color I could see, apart from the green walls and the brown carpet, was a pink bed.


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Ali's bed.

It was small, not the standard size of a single bed, more like a toddler bed, and it was shoved into the corner.

"Where does your mom sleep, Ali?" I asked quietly as she walked over to her bed and sunk to her knees in front of it.

She pulled out a long flat box and I could see that this is where she kept her clothes.

There wasn't much, but it looked clean enough.

Where were her books and toys though?

"On the couch," she replied quietly as Alice sobbed into Jasper's shoulder.

I looked at the couch and it was horrendous.

It was horrible, brown and cream, threadbare and covered in stains.

Surely Bella didn't sleep there?

I felt sick as I turned my attention back to Ali.

She had pulled out another identical box and this time I smiled as I saw a few small toys and books that she was rummaging around for.

"Jasper, I want everything packed up and brought back to the house, they won't be coming back here, ever," Alice ground out as she walked over to Ali.

She smiled down at her and took her hand before walking towards the front door.

Jasper and I shared a sad look as we followed them back to the car.

No, neither Bella nor Ali were ever coming back here.


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Bella had made it past the first twenty-four hours after her last operation and I wanted to smile.

She was a fighter.

A beautiful fighter who had more spirit in her sleep, than anyone I knew who was awake.

Thirty-six hours after her last operation, I saw dad breathe a sigh of relief when he read over her chart.

He had managed to get some sleep in one of the on call rooms, but he hadn't been back to the hotel with mom.

He said that if anything were to happen, he had to be here to deal with it.

It was amazing how I watched my family look after Bella as though she was a fully fledged member.

During the night, the press had got wind that I was here and Jasper was working himself into a right state about keeping them away, not for my benefit of course, it was all for Bella and Ali-Mae.

He had spoken to yet another judge, but this time he was more successful.

The judge had put an order in place for them to stay off of the hospital grounds and away from the family home, but that's as much as he could do.

It was enough, according to Jasper.


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To say that having Ali-Mae with us was easy would have been a total lie.

Well, she was easy for everyone else but me.

The ladies of the house were always there to help her, whether that was with getting dressed or whatever else girls do and Emmett was the joker.

The second she showed that she was upset; he would come along at the right time and make her smile. It might have been a weak smile, but it was there nonetheless.

Jasper would always be at her side so she could talk to him. He was a great listener and he explained things to her in a way she could grasp and dad was always about when she had questions about Bella and how she was doing.

Me, on the other hand, I was no help at all for her.

I didn't know how to play dress up, I didn't know how to tell jokes like Emmett and I couldn't relate to her enough to talk to her or explain things in the way Jasper could.

I was lost, and I felt utterly useless.


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Bella had been in the hospital for over a week, but she was still in an induced coma. The swelling on her brain had lessened, thankfully, but they were still concerned for her.

She had gone through three more operations this week to repair her arm bones and her kneecap.

Each time she continued to prove she was a fighter and I was proud of her.

We had all taken turns at sitting with her and watching over her. There was never a time when she was on her own. When she eventually woke up, someone was going to be there for her. None of us wanted her to wake, confused and alone.

Jane, Jasper's right hand lady, had made sure that there was a court order in place that banned any members of the hospital staff from talking to the press and had issued a statement that a family member was there and that we needed our privacy.

We still had a few issues with some sleazy photographers, but overall, security had been a godsend.

I had gotten better about trips home to recharge, after I had been promised that if she showed the faintest sign of waking, no matter the time, I would be called immediately.

There were a few nights when I couldn't sleep and went to the hospital. Dad usually stayed with her at night and would catch up on his paperwork, but I made sure he went home to mom. She missed him like crazy and now that Bella was very slowly on the mend, he was relaxing his protective stance over her.


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Those nights when I was there were painful, but I still went, I still poured my heart out to her with apologies and words of comfort to her.

She never gave any indication that she heard me, but sometimes I thought that she might be able to hear me. I hoped she could.

Tonight, yet again, I found myself lying in bed, wishing for sleep when I knew it wouldn't come.

Not once in eight years had Alice mentioned Bella, and now I that I thought about it, maybe it was because it hurt too much.

But now you couldn't stop her.

Every waking moment that I was near her, she was always talking about what they used to get up to. And then Ali-Mae would join in and fill in the gaps as best she could. I heard about everything from walking in the woods to falling over in the rock pools at the beach at La Push. I learnt that Bella was a selfless person, committed to helping others when she could and always being there for others.

Emmett moaned constantly that Bella had to get out of the hospital as soon as possible because he missed her cooking to which mom slapped him round the head. There was no way Bella was going to raise a finger for a very long time.

Ever so slowly, I admitted to myself that I was falling in love with this stranger. I didn't need her to talk to me, or look at me to know that. Just by her sheer beauty and how everyone talked about her, I knew how I felt.

And I was okay with it.


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At first I was scared, I mean, who could A, fall in love so quickly and B, fall in love with someone that you didn't know? But I was okay with it now.

I could fall in love with this girl.

I had.

What scared me now was how Bella would react to me when she woke up.

Would she hate me?

Had I scared her too much that fateful morning when she last left the house?

I made my way downstairs to let Dillon, my chocolate lab, out. He had been acting up all day and that wasn't like him at all. I grabbed a carton of juice from the fridge and went to get a glass. I knew I could be an ass, but I wasn't going to lower my standards enough to drink out of a carton.

"Mr. Cullen." The shock of hearing her voice nearly made me drop the glass, but I was careful. She hadn't spoken to me directly yet since we left Bella's shit hole of an apartment last week, so I was gobsmacked that she would now, and at this time of night, too.


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She was stood in the doorway, looking sleep crumpled, her hair all over the place and marks on her face from her pillow.

At least someone had gotten a little sleep.

"You can call me Edward," I replied to her just as quietly as she had to me and she gave a little nod.

She walked over to me as I got out another glass and poured some milk into it. I put the glass on the side for her and hunted down some cookies that I knew mom had somewhere.

I smiled to myself as I found them behind a bag of flour and passed her a couple.

"What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream or something? I can get Alice if you like." I was mumbling, I knew that. I didn't know how to talk to kids. Not like the others could.

"No, I'm ok. It's just that Sasha was making funny noises and she woke me up, but when I tried to get her to come out of my room, she wouldn't," she looked so much like her mom when she was nervous.

She even bit her little bottom lip, it was scary sometimes.

I didn't know why, but I reached out for her small hand and smiled.

"Let's go and find out what's the matter with Sasha, yeah?" She nodded again and I led her up the stairs.

_Maybe this would be easier than I thought._

Once we were in her room, I knew straight away what was up and why Dillon was acting up the way he was.


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"Oh my god, puppies!" she quietly squealed and bounced on the balls of her feet.

So much for Sasha being spayed!

We quietly walked over to Sasha, who was still panting, and saw that there were two puppies so far.

One golden and one chocolate.

"Mr. Cullen, they are so small!" Ali was in awe and I think I was a little bit, too.

"Yes they are sweetheart, and what did I tell you to call me?" I chuckled as her eyes went wide.

"Sorry," she mumbled and looked to Sasha.

"There's no need to apologize, this is your home now and I hope that we can be friends. That means you get to call me Edward."

"Okay."

She was quiet for a moment just looking at the puppies. A small smile played on her lips as I stroked a very proud looking Sasha

"Edward, do you think she will have more?"

"She might do, but this is her first litter, so she might only have two." As I said that, Sasha started panting harder and her stomach was contracting.

"Edward, EW, Edward, is that coming out of her butt?!" Okay, so little Ali was not very happy about this.

Her face was scrunched up in an adorable way and I couldn't help but laugh a little. Then reality hit, I would have to explain _where_ it was coming from. _That_, I was totally not comfortable with.


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"Erm – I – er – no. Not really. Erm – there's another – erm – hole – er – there," I stuttered out quickly.

"Oh," Ali replied as she watched, in earnest, the new puppy being born. As soon as the puppy was out, Sasha made quick work of cleaning it up, and although it was certainly smaller than the other two, it was quick to find milk.

"Oh it's so tiny, Edward, can I name it? Please?"

"Well how could I resist your little pout there? You so got that from Alice," I laughed. "Of course you can sweetheart."

"What color is it going to be, it's too dark to be a golden color." She had a point.

"We won't know until its fur has dried out a little bit."

"Can they stay in my room? I won't touch them or anything, I promise."

"I don't think Sasha would go anywhere else, but you have to be careful with them. You can't pick them up or anything yet, they are just a little bit too small. You understand?"

"Of course, I'll be a good girl."

"I know you will be."

I naturally kissed the top of her head, and then froze as her beautiful little eyes whipped up to meet mine. I couldn't help but return the precious smile that she gave me.

We sat there for a little while just watching them and hearing their little grunting noises.


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That night with Ali and Sasha was just over a week ago, and I was more than happy to tell Bella all about it.

That was my new ritual.

After hearing everyone talk about Bella, I decided it was time to create my own memories of her, with her.

I would talk to her about seemingly pointless things, tell jokes, quietly sing and at one point, I even read a script to her.

Sometimes I wouldn't say anything, I would just hold her hand, stroke her face, but I was there.

"You love her," a man in the doorway startled me to my feet.

He was dressed in a police uniform and had a grim look on his face.

"No, I don't, I care for her, but I don't even know her, not really. Just what the others have told me." I wasn't about to admit to anyone but Bella that I loved her.

"Son, I know love when I see it," he chuckled awkwardly as he moved further into the room.

"As you can see, Bella isn't in any condition to give a statement," I said with a slight irritation in my voice as he pulled up a chair and sat next to me.

I wanted him to leave.

I liked it when it was just Bella and I.

Preferred it that way.

I could pour out all of my fears when it was just the two of us.

I felt like I could tell her anything.

"I'm not here to take a statement, son, I'm here to see my daughter."


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I was saved from talking when the door opened and Ali ran into my side.

"Edward, Auntie Rose let me have my hair cut!" she squealed lightly as she shook her head side to side, showing me how it had changed.

It seemed as though she'd only had a little bit trimmed, but I smiled all the same as Alice and Rose walked in the door.

Alice stood stock still before her lips formed a tiny smile.

"Hello, Charlie," she whispered as Charlie lifted his head to look at Alice.

_Really_ look at her.

All of a sudden he was out of his chair and had Alice wrapped up in his arms as they both cried.

If that was a lot to take in, it was nothing compared to when Ali crawled into my lap and started to suck on her thumb.

She had never been this close to me before.

"Who's he?" she asked, her voice muffled round her thumb and it made me chuckle.

"That's your grandfather, Ali. Your mom's daddy," Rose said sweetly as Charlie backed away from Alice to look at Ali.

"Hello, Ali-Mae," he said tearfully as he left Alice's side and came to crouch down so he was eye level with Ali.

Before I could even comprehend what was happening, she lurched out of my arms and into his with such force that he fell back onto the floor.

I smiled softly as I left them there and turned my attention back to Bella.

"You have your family back, Bella. You just need to wake up now," I whispered almost silently as I took her hand again and started stroking the back of it.


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I was saved from talking when the door opened and Ali ran into my side.

"Edward, Auntie Rose let me have my hair cut!" she squealed lightly as she shook her head side to side, showing me how it had changed.

It seemed as though she'd only had a little bit trimmed, but I smiled all the same as Alice and Rose walked in the door.

Alice stood stock still before her lips formed a tiny smile.

"Hello, Charlie," she whispered as Charlie lifted his head to look at Alice.

_Really_ look at her.

All of a sudden he was out of his chair and had Alice wrapped up in his arms as they both cried.

If that was a lot to take in, it was nothing compared to when Ali crawled into my lap and started to suck on her thumb.

She had never been this close to me before.

"Who's he?" she asked, her voice muffled round her thumb and it made me chuckle.

"That's your grandfather, Ali. Your mom's daddy," Rose said sweetly as Charlie backed away from Alice to look at Ali.

"Hello, Ali-Mae," he said tearfully as he left Alice's side and came to crouch down so he was eye level with Ali.

Before I could even comprehend what was happening, she lurched out of my arms and into his with such force that he fell back onto the floor.

I smiled softly as I left them there and turned my attention back to Bella.

"You have your family back, Bella. You just need to wake up now," I whispered almost silently as I took her hand again and started stroking the back of it.


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The doctors had left the room just an hour ago and I, along with the others, was watching with bated breath for any sign that Bella was waking up.

In a perfect world, her eyes would have fluttered open as soon as they took away the drugs and machines, but this wasn't a perfect world.

They said that it could take hours, depending on how strong she was.

Minutes seemed like hours as I held her hand.

Charlie was by my side, as were Alice and Jasper, but the others had taken the kids out for the day.

Ali knew that they were going to try and wake up her momma, and wanted to be here, but we had decided against it.

We didn't know what we were going to be faced with and it wasn't fair for Ali to see that.

It was about three in the morning when a muffled noise woke me up in the chair.

My neck and back were killing me, but I didn't care when I looked over to see that Bella was stirring.


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Charlie and Alice were asleep in a chair each, too, but I let them sleep as I stood up and moved the harsh overhead light from Bella's face.

"Hey, sweetheart," I cooed gently as her eyes fluttered behind her lids.

She moved her head ever so slowly towards my voice and her eyebrows pinched together.

"It's Edward, Bella, you're in the hospital," I whispered by the side of her face.

"Ali," she croaked out almost silently and my heart soared.

She didn't think of anything else apart from her daughter.

"She's been well looked after, sweetheart, and she misses you so much," I smiled as I saw the tiniest hint of a smile on her lips.

I stroked the side of her cheek to let her know I was close.

"I'm going to get a doctor, okay, promise you won't go anywhere," I chuckled slightly as she smiled slightly wider this time.

"Pro-," she gasped a little and I saw the pain on her face, even though her eyes were shut.

"Shh, let me go get a doctor and then I'll be back," I said as I reluctantly let go of her hand.

I found dad at the nurses' station overlooking some charts.

"Dad, she's awake," I called out from the door of her room.

He gave me a huge smile as he put the chart down and walked over to me quickly.

"That's great news," he clapped me gently on the back as he walked past me into the room.


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I stood behind him as he checked Bella over, asking her questions quietly.

He smiled as he looked back at me and gave me a small nod.

"Charlie, Alice, Bella wants you," I said quietly next to them, but they quickly woke up and rushed to her side.

I stood back as I watched Bella open her eyes to look at her father.

There was so much love between the two of them.

~(*)~

Bella had been awake for a little over twenty-four hours and everything had zoomed past us.

Doctors and nurses rushed about, helping her settle into her new room that wasn't in the ICU any more.

She was on strong painkillers and was still being fed through a tube down her nose, but she was drinking a little and when she wasn't sleeping, she was alert.

Since she had woken up, I had kept my distance a little, not wanting to upset her. I didn't know how she would feel about me after our confrontation the day of her accident and I didn't want to push her further.

I was currently on our way back from the hotel with Ali.

She had been stuck to my side like glue since she met Charlie, even though she seemed to get on well with him.

Mom said that it was because a lot was changing in her life and she was used to it being just her and Bella.

I still didn't know why she had latched on to me though.


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"When will momma get to see the puppies?" Ali asked as we climbed into the SUV.

"Well, she has to get a lot better before she can come home," I replied honestly.

I had no idea how long it would be before Bella was allowed out of the hospital, but I hoped it would be soon.

There was only so much you could do to build relationships in a small room and her, Alice and Charlie had a long way to go.

"Edward, I think we're going to have some problems," Jasper hissed as we pulled up into the grounds of the hospital to see a surge of paps.

What the hell were they doing here?

"Ali, I want you to listen to me," I said in a fit of panic, "I'm going to hold on to you real close and I want you to hide your head in my neck, okay?" I asked as she nodded, her eyes wide because of the flashes of the cameras.

"Jasper, you find out why the hell they're here," I growled out as the car came to a stop and the paps surrounded us.


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"I can't take her out there!" I hissed as Ali whimpered into my side.

"I'll sit here with Ali while you try and get them to back off. They want to see you and won't give up until they do, talk to them, plead if you have to," Jasper said firmly as he went to take Ali from my side. She refused to let go which made Jasper sigh.

"Ali, I just want to tell them to back off a bit, you stay with Uncle Jasper, okay?" I asked softly as I gently pried her from me.

Why the hell I had to do this, I had no idea, because Jasper always dealt with the press.

I slowly got out of the car to a barrage of shouting and flashing.

All I could do was stand there with my hands up in silence, hoping that they would calm down enough for me to speak.

"Look, I don't know why you're all here, seeing as there's a court order in place, but I have a very frightened little girl in the car who wants her momma, so can you please, just back off," I almost growled out and some had the decency to do as I asked.

"_Is it true that you're married and that your wife has been admitted?"_

"_Is the little girl your secret daughter?"_

"_How long have you been in a secret relationship?"_


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"Enough!" I cried out.

"I am not married, I'm here to visit a member of my family and I thought that you might have enough respect and _decency_ to honor the court order, but obviously not," I hissed.

"_Is it true that the little girl is the granddaughter of Phil Dwyer?"_

Phil Dwyer, wasn't he a top baseball player?

So that's how they got round the court order. They were here for news about him and his 'family', not me.

"I am not going to answer any more questions, so please, just move so I can get this little girl out," I pleaded this time and breathed a sigh as they backed away enough to let me move.

I turned my body back towards the car and opened the door with ease before smiling at Ali reassuringly.

"Remember what I said?" I asked her.

She gave me a quick nod as I reached forward to pick her up.

She instantly did as I asked, wrapping her arms and legs around me and buried her head into my neck.

"That's it, Ali, you're doing great," I cooed as some paps got right in my face.

Just as Jasper got out of the car, Emmett came barreling through the hospital doors and started ordering everyone around, pushing some overzealous paps out of our way.

The whole time I hummed a tune so Ali could hear me and I rubbed her back soothingly.


	62. Chapter 62

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If the commotion was bad outside, it was nothing to what was going on inside.

By the time we got onto the floor that Bella was on, you could hear all forms of arguments going on.

"Who the hell is that?" I hissed at Emmett as I saw some prissy little woman arguing the toss with Alice and Charlie.

Her clothes were skin tight, her hair primped to within an inch of its life, and she had more makeup on than a circus clown.

I didn't catch all that was being said because Jasper barged me out of the way to get to Alice.

I walked slowly towards everyone and it slowly dawned on me.

That woman, if you could call her that, was Bella's _mother_.

As fucked up as it sounded, I thanked God that Bella got her looks from her father.

"Ali, I'm going to take you into your momma now, keep your head there," I soothed as I briskly walked down the corridor towards Bella's room.

It was up to Bella whether she wanted Ali to see her mom or not, so I didn't bother to stop when I got to the door.

Charlie gave me a swift nod as I opened the door and then shut it quickly behind me.

What I saw next crippled me.

Bella was half sitting up, crying her eyes out on mom's shoulder as Rose looked on helplessly.

"Ali, I think your momma needs a big hug," I kissed the top of her head and put her down on the ground.

She smiled widely at me before turning around and rushing to Bella's side.

She was very careful not to hurt Bella as she gave her a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek.

I was distracted for a moment by the raised voices outside the room.

Where the hell was security?

"I'll be back in a minute," I said quietly as I excused myself from the room.


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When I got outside it, I grabbed hold of the woman's elbow and all but frog marched her to the waiting room, ignoring her expletives as we went.

It was only next door to Bella's room, but far enough away to keep Bella from hearing things.

"Will you let go of me!" she screamed at the top of her lungs to the point where I wanted to slap her just to shut her up.

Alice, Charlie and Jasper walked in the door behind me and Jasper shut the door.

"I will tell you this once and once only. You are to get your ass away from this hospital and never, and I do mean _never_, set foot near Bella or Ali again without permission from Bella," I growled out in a deathly low pitch.

"You can't order me around! That is my daughter and granddaughter you're talking about and while Bella is in here, I should look after Ali-Mae," she hissed back at me and it made me laugh.

"What do _you_ know about looking after a child? You sure as hell didn't do a good enough job with Bella. You upped and left when she needed you most, what mother does that? The only mother she needs now is Esme, and you better watch your botoxed ass if you come anywhere near Bella while my mother is around because she'll have you worse than a guard dog. No one, and I mean _no one,_ crosses my mother and lives to tell the tale." I smiled wickedly as the woman shrank back slightly.

"Renee, just go, okay? You're _not_ welcome here, by anyone, especially Bella and Ali," Charlie ground out, his voice thick with venom.

Hmm, he seemed to hate her as much as I did.

"You haven't seen the last of me, Charlie. I want my daughter and granddaughter and I will get them," she fumed as she stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

"Jasper, get everything you can on her, and if Maggie agrees, any paperwork that will work on Bella's side. I know that you and Alice have guardianship over Ali, but I want it water tight. That woman is not to get within a mile of Ali or Bella," I said quietly, trying to calm down.


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Over the following week, the paps had calmed down and Jasper had everything in place just in case Renee came back.

Rose and Emmett had taken their kids back home and had started making space for Bella and Ali.

Charlie had to go back to work, but he still came up every other day to see Bella.

The doctors said that Bella could go home within the next week or two, depending on how she reacted to physio.

"Edward?" she sighed as her eyes fluttered open and looked at me.

It was now nearly midnight and I couldn't shut off. The rest of the family was at the hotel, but I just couldn't pull myself away from Bella.

The only time I could be myself was when I watched over her at night. Half the time I don't even think she realized that I was there, but I didn't care. As long as I was close to her.

"Do you need something, Bella?" I asked as I put the book I was reading down on the small bedside table and smiled at her.

"I need to know why you babysit me?" she asked quietly with a blush and it made me chuckle.

"I'm not babysitting you, I'm keeping you company," I mused as she rolled her eyes.


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The other day we had talked, _really_ talked. I apologized over and over about how I treated her that day and remarkably, she forgave me. I told her about my life, how fucked up I had made it, and she just accepted me for who I was. That was it. No hatred, just me.

"I heard you, when I was asleep with the drugs, somewhere and I don't know how, but I heard you talking to me. It comforted me," she said quietly and it made my heart soar.

"I'm glad, Bella. I felt so helpless. Mom was on auto pilot, dad was keeping himself busy and the others rallied around the kids. All I could do was talk to you and hold your hand," I said honestly as I picked up her hand, leant forward and kissed the back of it.

"I don't think you're damaged Bella. You know, mom went through a horrible relationship before she got with dad. She always told us that it doesn't matter how badly a woman can break down, she'll build herself back together, stronger than ever and I think that's you. I know how hard life has been for you, I've seen the pain in your eyes, but this, the accident, this is the last hard step. You've reached the top of your mountain and all you have to do now is heal and enjoy the view," I said with my own blush as I let my feelings run away from me.

"The view looks pretty good from here," she blushed too, as the words escaped her lips.

"I mean it, Bella, you can heal now. You have your friends and family back in your life to help and support you," I urged as I kissed the back of her hand again.

"And I have you," she whispered quietly as she shut her eyes.

"Yes, Bella, you have me."

She drifted off to sleep a little while later, still holding tightly onto my hand.


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Three days later, after our little talk, Bella was discharged from hospital into the care of dad.

That should have been a good thing, but he was strict and made it perfectly clear that if Bella didn't do as she was told, he would readmit her.

She paled and agreed.

An hour later found us already arguing with Bella when we told her that we were flying back home.

"What's wrong with driving?" she huffed as she looked towards Charlie for back up.

"Nah-ah, don't get me involved," he chuckled as he held up his hands in surrender.

I smiled as I walked round to crouch down in front of her wheelchair.

"Bella, you sitting in a car for nearly four hours will cripple your body more than what it is already. The quicker we get you home, the quicker you can relax and rest," I said softly and I picked up her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers.

Now that she was going home, they had put a more permanent cast on her arms, from her elbows right down to her knuckles and I hated it.

I also hated the fact that they had to shave the majority of her hair off when they operated, so she now wore a scarf over her head.

I missed the waist length hair that she'd had.


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She had shrugged it off at the time, citing that it saved her life so she couldn't complain, but I saw the pain in her eyes.

"Please, Bella?" I asked gently and saw that she caved pretty quickly just by the look in her eyes.

"Fine, but I don't like it," she moaned as dad chuckled along with Charlie.

"I thought that going home meant going home, not coming here," she groused and then growled as she failed to cross her arms because of the casts. We had just gotten her out of the chopper and pushed her in the chair towards the house.

"Yeah, about that, I kinda got you kicked out of that place. Well, not kicked out, I just had heated words with your landlord when he tried to stop us moving your stuff out. I'm really sorry about that," Alice said cheerfully.

She wasn't at all sorry about it in the least and we knew it.

"I knew there was a reason I slapped you all those years ago," Bella murmured, but I could see the spark in her eyes that I liked.

"Just be grateful that you're in that chair, otherwise you might have got one in return," Alice giggled back.

I was used to this now.


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The banter between Alice and Bella went on for hours and it was good to see Bella smile.

It was my favorite expression that she had.

"Edward, I want to talk to you later," Emmett said gruffly as he walked past me to open up the French doors.

I gave him a quick nod as I turned the chair around and took Bella in backwards.

"Home sweet home," I smiled at her which made her blush.

Bella was settled quickly into her new room downstairs and I was pushed to the side, literally.

The ladies took over and I was out on my ear.

Kind of.

"Edward, a word," Emmett grumbled as he walked out of the sitting room where I was playing with Ali.

"I think I'm in trouble," I joked as I ruffled her hair and jumped up from the floor to follow Emmett.

I found him on the patio outside the kitchen with his hands in his pockets.

"What's up?" I asked, slightly nervous.

"I'm just going to come out and say it like it is. I, _we_, want you to stay away from Bella. All's well and good when you talk and make her smile, but we know what you're like. You'll break her heart, we all know that, so please, just don't go there, okay?" he mumbled and I was fuming.


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"You think I'll hurt her? You all think that I could do something like that?" I spat out quietly as I made sure that Ali couldn't hear us.

And then it sank in.

They had _planned_ to coop Bella up in her new room while Emmett talked to me.

The whole family was against me.

"I see," I muttered.

I turned on my heels with no idea what I was doing or where I was going.

Ali ran straight into me as I walked out of the room and I smiled sweetly at her as crouched down to her level.

"I have to go out for a bit, will you promise me that you'll look after Sasha and the puppies for me?" I asked, trying hard to keep my voice level.

She gave me a serious nod of her head, which I kissed as I stood up.

"And… be a good girl for your momma, alright?"

"I will, I promise," she grinned in reply as she ran through the kitchen to the back garden.

Before I knew it, my feet had taken me to the door to Bella's room.

I knocked gently before walking in. They were all sat around Bella on the bed, laughing over scarves that she could use.

I would miss her.

It dawned on me there and then, seeing her smile and laugh so carefree, that I had fallen in love with her, harder than I ever thought possible.

And because of my own stupidity, my family couldn't see it.


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"Edward," she breathed out gently as she blushed and put a shocking green scarf down in her lap.

The others fell deathly silent as I walked over to Bella and yet again, crouched down to her level.

"I have to go for a while and while I'm gone… I want… I _need_ you to rest and relax," I said, my voice choking back a sob.

"I don't understand, you have a film to do?" she asked and her own tears gave way which made me look away.

"Something… something like that, yes," I said as I stood up.

She looked at the others and then glared back at me.

"It was an act, wasn't it, to keep me happy until I got out of the hospital, it was an act," she whispered hoarsely and I felt my world crumble.

"Oh, my Bella, it was never an act," I said tearfully as I leant forward and kissed her forehead.


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I could have fought with my family, used my determination to stay with Bella, but the hurt that they caused didn't let me think.

I couldn't stand it anymore.

I had to get out.

I turned on my heels once again and all but flew out of the room.

"Edward, wait!" Alice called after me, but I took a few more steps before I turned around.

"What, Alice? I have to go, apparently I'm not wanted here, not around Bella," I said harshly, making her stop in her tracks and wince.

"We didn't mean it like that, we just don't want to see her hurt," she whispered softly and it angered me more.

"And you think I can stay around here, not being able to talk to her, touch her, love her even?" I almost shouted, "Who are you to decide anything? It doesn't matter though, right? I mean, my own family can't even trust me enough, so what's the point in hurting two people when it's just me?" I shouted the last bit as I turned and flew out of the front door.

I jogged to the garage, grabbed my keys and helmet then jumped on my bike.

With one last look at the house, I revved the tits off of it and peeled out of the driveway.


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**BPOV**

"What have you done?" I whispered into the room as Rose and Esme stared at each other.

"_And you think I can stay around here, not being able to talk to her, touch her, love her even? Who are you to decide anything? It doesn't matter though, right? I mean, my own family can't even trust me enough, so what's the point in hurting two people when it's just me?"_

I heard the anguish in his voice and I was powerless to stop him from going.

"Bella, I love him, I really do, but he's not good for you, or Ali," Rose said quietly.

"And you decided that, did you? To cast him out of his _home_, from his _family_, just to spare me? What about what I wanted? What _we_ wanted?" I cried.

Esme tried to sooth me, but I shook her hand off of me.

"Bella, he's my son, I know what he's like and to be honest, he'll get over it, he always does. We didn't want to see you hurt, Bella. He has a reputation and we wanted to spare you from that," she said firmly, but even I could hear the hesitation in her voice.

"I know about his _reputation_, how many notches he has on his bedpost. What did you think we talked about for hours at a time when you thought he was wrapped up tightly in his hotel room? I know what he was like when he was working, the women, the nightlife, but I didn't judge him, just like he didn't judge me. He didn't see the weak little girl that you do, he saw me for who I am, not my past," I cried harder.


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**EsPOV**

I copied Bella's question and asked myself over and over.

'What had we done?'

What I had said to Bella was the truth.

I loved my son very much, but his behavior, especially over the last few months, had made me question everything we taught him, how we raised him.

Long gone was the respectable boy that I once knew and in its place was a man I had hardly recognized, until Bella was injured.

I saw glimpses of the boy I knew, but not all of him and that worried me.

Having a girlfriend with a past like Bella's would be hard enough to cope with, but with Ali as well?

I didn't want him to get bored or frustrated and leave them both, breaking both their hearts.

"I've tried to get him on his phone, but he's not answering," Carlisle said as he started to strip off to get ready for bed.

"I feel so bad, I do, but I did what I thought was right. I _was_ right, wasn't I?" I asked him as he climbed into bed.

"I want no part of this, Esme. You took the decision out of my hands when you asked Emmett to say something, and now we have no idea what Edward is going to do." He sighed as he rolled over and turned off the bedside light.

I cried softly to myself that night as I drifted off into a fitful sleep.


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**EPOV**

I had been away from Bella and Ali for three weeks now.

In a harsh move, I got my lawyer to dissolve the contracts of Alice and Jasper and I cancelled all upcoming projects.

They could sue me as much as they liked.

I didn't give a rat's ass about any of it.

It was only money and as Bella had pointed out before, money couldn't solve everything.

God, I knew that now.

The more I thought about Bella and Ali, the more I switched off from reality.

I was holed up in a small cabin on the edge of the mountains and I just wallowed.

Bella would have three more weeks of being in casts and then she would be having intensive physio. She would be in a lot of pain, but she had the determination to get through it.

Ali would, of course, be starting school again in Forks for her new year and I hated that I wouldn't be there for her first day.

I was missing them so much that it hurt and there was nothing I could do about it.

I would do anything to be back with them, but I couldn't face my family, not after they did that to me.


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Another month trickled by and I couldn't stay in the cabin any longer. The weather would be turning soon and I didn't want to get stuck up here for the winter.

I tidied myself up as best as I could and got on the road.

The only place I could go back to was LA, even though I hated the place now.

With an empty heart, I walked through my apartment door and I was met with a stale smell.

Everything looked so clinical.

There were none of Ali's toys here, or her tiny drawings that she kept making me.

There wasn't the smell of Bella's lavender shampoo.

Nothing.

I kicked off my shoes and stripped off as I went and then crawled into my bed that I hadn't slept in for months.

I was awoken God knows how many hours later to the shrill of the phone in my apartment.

Well that was a novelty.

I hadn't heard a phone ring since I left Forks.

Not good to leave without a charger for your phone, I suppose.

I held my breath as I heard Alice's voice filter through the apartment.

"Edward… I know you're there because the man at the desk told us. Please come home… I'm sorry." The machine clicked out and I let out a deep sigh.

Yes, she sounded heartbroken, but no more than me.


	76. Chapter 76

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I spent the following days ignoring the phone and sorting out all the shit in the apartment.

I really didn't know how I had managed to get so much shit in here, I really didn't.

When it came to sorting out the family photos, I just left them in the box to the side and carried on, as long as my hands kept busy.

Nine weeks had gone by since I had left and I was as miserable as ever.

The apartment was just a place where I slept now.

It held no meaning for me, it was just a shell.

The phone rang yet again as I got out of the shower, and yet again, I rolled my eyes.

"Edward, it's me… Erm… I just wanted to let you know that Bella's had a setback, kind of. Look, this isn't some set up to get you back here. I never agreed to what was said to you, but… Bella needs you, Edward, please son," Dad's voice sounded tired and strained, but all I could focus on was that Bella needed me.

I tentatively picked up the phone and dialed his personal phone, not wanting to talk to anyone else in the family.

It rang a couple of times before he answered it.


	77. Chapter 77

77. 193

"Edward, thank heavens. Bella was brought back into the hospital last week after contracting an infection from her stitches. They were dissolvable, but one didn't do its job. She's refusing to do anything, eat or drink. She keeps saying that you'll come to her because she's in the hospital. She needs you to talk her through things like the first time. She's refusing to see her therapist or do her exercises and it's left her very weak," he breathed out quickly and I had to do a double take on what he was saying.

She was sick.

Back in the hospital.

She needed me.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," I replied quickly as I started searching for things to wear.

"I'll warn you, Edward, she doesn't look pretty. She's blanked out all of us since you left and as soon as she got her casts off she moved back to Charlie's, taking Ali with her," he sighed sadly into the phone as I stood dead still.

She'd moved back to Charlie's?

"I'll get there as soon as I can," I sighed as I hung up and got my shit together.


	78. Chapter 78

78. 245

Several hours later, an expensive plane ticket and a pap with a black eye, I pulled up in my rental car towards the back of the hospital in Forks.

Dad met me at the doors and started firing off some stuff I couldn't understand, but I did get one thing, she kept pulling out her IV.

Stupid, _stupid_ girl.

Dad fell behind me as I stepped up my pace to get to Bella.

I would be having strict words with her when I got there.

"Son, just to warn you, the ladies are in there with her," Dad said as he caught up with me.

"I thought she was ignoring them?" I asked as I slowed down.

"She is, but it hasn't stopped them trying to look after her," he chuckled as I rolled my eyes.

I would be having words with them too, but not just yet.

"I suggest you leave," I said without looking at anyone after entering the room.

I didn't want Bella to think I could be so harsh to her.

They knew who I was talking to anyway.

I continued to look at the floor as I heard the chairs scrape and felt them walk past me in silence.

As I heard the door click shut, I raised my eyes and had to do a double take when my eyes locked with hers.

"Oh, Bella, what have you done," I whispered out a moan as I rushed to her side.


	79. Chapter 79

79. 216

She was almost back to how she looked when I first met her. Her skin was pale and her eyes were dead.

"You promised to rest and relax, not try and kill yourself," I said sadly as I kissed her hand over and over.

"You weren't here, how could I relax?" she said tearfully and all I wanted to do was kiss her tears away.

"But you have Ali to look after, you can't run yourself into the ground like this," I stressed, hoping to lay a little guilt on her.

"I know, but it was so hard, Edward. The nightmares, the pain, I just couldn't cope with it," she sniffed as I pulled her into my arms.

"We're going to get you out of here and we're going to get you through this and enjoy the view together, how does that sound?" I asked softly.

She didn't answer, she just nodded.

We stayed like that for ages before dad knocked on the door and walked in.

"I have a care plan here, and as long as Bella follows it to the letter, she can be discharged this afternoon." He smiled weakly as he handed me a manila envelope.

"Sure, I'll make sure of it," I chuckled as I felt Bella growl against my chest lightly.


	80. Chapter 80

80. 212

"Where will you be staying? I'm sure you don't want to come back to the house and Charlie's won't have the space," he asked as he pulled up a chair and sat down next to us.

"I'll book a hotel suite," I said with resolution as I thought about what services were in the area. Ali needed to be close to school, obviously, but other things we would just have to deal with as and when it was needed.

"That will cost too much," Bella mumbled against my chest and I chuckled.

"Money can't solve everything, Bella, but when the time calls for its use, it's pretty damn helpful," I smirked at dad as he chuckled.

Four hours later found us in the car on the way to the hotel that I had managed to find on my phone.

As stupid as it sounded, it was a novelty to do things for myself.

I was used to either Alice, Jasper or mom sorting things like this out for me.

Well, it all stops now.

I had to man up, for Bella and Ali.

I still had no idea what was going on between us.

We certainly weren't dating, but it felt like more than friends.

Christ, my head was a jumbled mess.


	81. Chapter 81

81. 214

"I made sure that you and Ali had a bedroom to share in the suite and it has a connecting bathroom," I said as I pulled out of the small parking lot and drove towards the hotel.

I knew from the website that the hotel wasn't big, at all, but it would have to do and the management was more than happy to help me out.

"I'm sure it's fine, Edward," Bella said with a small smile as she tentatively took hold of my hand.

"Will you promise to make an appointment with your therapist when we get to the hotel?" I asked, completely off topic.

I knew that she had been in therapy since her pregnancy with Ali, and I had no idea what they talked about, apart from the obvious, but things were changing now, she would need to talk about a lot more than just her past.

"I promise, but I have to call dad first. I also have to call the school and see about picking Ali up if dad can't do it," she said as if she was formulating a plan in her head.

"Well… I can pick her up, if you trust me, that is," I hedged as I followed the satnav's directions through the small town.


	82. Chapter 82

82. 199

"You would? But what about the press and stuff?" she asked nervously.

"Bella, that's not my life any more. I decided while I was away that I want something more in my life than just films and everything that goes with them," I gripped her hand tighter, just a fraction, hoping she would get what I was saying.

I had managed to get Bella settled in the suite with no problems and left her on the phone with her therapist while I went to pick up Ali from school.

Now that was a novelty.

I sat in the car with my shades on the whole time I waited for the school kids to come out.

I could have gotten the school to let me pick her up from the office, but I didn't want to change her routine or for her to be treated any differently from the other kids.

I heard the bell ring in the distance and sighed.

I wanted this.

I wanted to do this for Ali and Bella, but it didn't stop me from being a nervous wreck about doing something so… fatherly.

Sighing again, I pulled on my cap and got out of my car.


	83. Chapter 83

83. 236

I saw loads of kids come out of the door, so I headed in that general direction.

After a few more minutes of standing like a total idiot against the fence, I finally saw Ali coming out.

She looked totally miserable and it wasn't until I saw an older girl push her that I saw why.

Hell, the teacher was standing right there and didn't do a damn thing!

I was not going to put up with this shit.

I pulled off my cap and tucked it into the back pocket of my jeans and put my sunglasses into my shirt.

If I was ever going to use my fame, it would be now.

"Ali!" I called out loud enough for all the parents and the kids to hear me.

This was Edward Cullen, not giving a shit.

"_Edwardddddd!"_ I heard her squeal as she tore through the crowd to get to me, flailing her arms about as she ran.

"Aww, I missed you, baby girl," I said softly as I scooped her up in my arms and spun her around on the spot.

My heart soared as I heard her little giggles as I spun us.

Now I didn't give a shit if anyone saw us, took pictures or gawped.

I was where I had been dreaming of for weeks.

Both Bella and Ali were back in my life.

Where I wanted them to stay.


	84. Chapter 84

84. 203

"I missed you, too, Edward, I really did," she laughed as I finally put her back on the ground and took both of her hands in mine.

"I swear you've grown inches since I last saw you," I declared loudly with wide eyes which made her laugh harder.

"I have, granddad had to buy me more clothes," she smiled widely.

"And you look so good in them," I laughed along with her.

"Are you here to stay, Edward?" she asked hopefully as I ignored all the stares and whispers.

We walked out of the school gates and towards the car.

"I am here for as long as you want me to be, angel," I said proudly as I opened the car door.

"Your carriage, my princess," I grinned as I bowed deeply, rolling my arm in an exaggerated wave.

She hopped into the car with another giggle and I strapped her in.

"I will always want you to be around." She kissed my cheeks quickly as I clicked in the buckle of the seat belt.

I couldn't help but smile as I kissed her cheek back, louder than ever.

"Then you're gonna be stuck with me," I chuckled as she clapped her hands.


	85. Chapter 85

85. 239

After Ali was fed and tucked into bed by yours truly, I sat down with Bella to have a good talk with her.

I needed her to know what I had been up to since we were last together and _I_ needed to know where she stood with therapy and her physio.

I sat down on the couch next to her and carefully brought her legs up so they laid across my lap.

"Thank-you so much for getting her into bed," she said gently as she laid back on the couch and closed her eyes.

"You're welcome and to be honest, I really enjoyed it. Not so much the bath, because quite frankly, I'm not used to little girls and it made me feel awkward as hell, but bedtimes and stories I can cope with," I chuckled lightly as she opened her eyes and smiled at me.

"I think you did an excellent job."

We fell silent for a little while as I tried to work out in my head on what I wanted to say, but Bella yet again made it easy for me.

"Maria, my therapist, said that I need to go and see her on Thursday. She wants to start covering things that have popped up since I last saw her, _you_, namely," she said quietly with a blush.

"Me? What on earth is so important about me?" I joked lamely, but it made her laugh.


	86. Chapter 86

86. 230

"Not you, per say, but having a man in my life, apart from Charlie. I have coped with Emmett and Jasper because they're not with me all of the time like you have been, and hopefully will continue to be. She also wants to help me build on my relationship with Charlie."

"I thought that it was going great between the two of you," I mused as I started rubbing her feet.

"It has, but I carry a lot of guilt, Edward. I knew shutting him out wasn't the best move, but he is a prominent person in the community and I wanted to protect him from harsh rumors and snide looks." She shrugged her shoulders innocently and I fell more for her in that moment.

She was _thirteen _when she was raped and had a baby, yet she thought more of her father than anything else.

She was beyond selfless.

"Bella, you are truly an amazing person," I said softly as I smiled and she gave me a slight blush in return.

Yet again we fell silent, but after a while, Bella took a deep breath loud enough for me to look at her.

"Edward, what are we?" she asked ever so gently that I had to replay in my head what she'd said.

When I was sure, I thought for a few moments before I answered her honestly.


	87. Chapter 87

87. 304

"As corny as it sounds, I think we could be anything you want us to be, or are comfortable for us to be. I would be lying if I said that I only wanted your friendship, but I will settle for anything if it keeps you and Ali in my life. You know my past, and have accepted it, that speaks volumes to me. I know your past and I think it has made you who you are. I see you as a very strong woman who has fought with bravery… It's made me love you harder," I whispered out the last part, not knowing, and fearing, her reaction.

She didn't disappoint as I felt her body flinch against me.

"Bella, before you say anything, I just want to tell you one thing. I don't expect, and will never expect, anything from you. I won't pressure you or push you, I will only forever respect you." I felt the need to say that before she said anything in return.

"I, I think I need to go to bed," she whispered sadly as she went to move her legs.

"Bella, wait, please. Come on, we need to talk about this. We've always been so good at talking, not judging. Please, just tell me what's going through your mind. I won't be hurt, please."

"Edward, I like you, more than like I think, but in reality, I don't know where we can go from here, I don't know how, or if I could, you know-," she muttered.

I carefully leant towards her and pulled her body so that she was sitting sideways on my lap.

"Friends. We start as friends and maybe in time, it can progress to something else," I said softly as she rested her head on my chest.

"I'd like that," she whispered.

I woke up the following morning to find Ali getting ready for school and Bella in a flap about getting something for her breakfast.

"Bella, you're supposed to be resting," I chided as I took the pan from her hand and directed her to sit down at the small table.

"I'm supposed to be a mom and look after her," she huffed lightly as she picked up her coffee.

"Bella, this is a small kitchen and it's not really designed for cooking, you know that. You're doing an excellent job with Ali, so let the hotel do an excellent job with cooking, okay?" I chuckled as Ali walked in with her sweater stuck on her head.

"A new fashion, Ali?" I asked as I tugged on the bottom of the sweater to reveal her brilliant smile.

"Nope," she grinned as she sat down at the table with Bella.

"I don't like the idea of room service all the time, Edward," Bella whispered and her face looked almost pained.

"Well, you're gonna have to get used to it until we can work out a more permanent solution," I said as an idea came to mind.

I needed a realtor.

Okay, so maybe I was moving faster than I thought possible, but Ali needed her own room and we needed a _home_.

Bella needed a place to recuperate and heal and we all needed a place that was safe from the press and fans.


	88. Chapter 88

88.302

"Is it true that you quit, completely?" Bella's words cut through my thinking.

"Yes, yes it is. It was easier than I thought actually," I smiled as I thought about how my life would be now.

"Won't you miss it, the work and the money?" she asked as she picked up a brush and got Ali to stand in front of her.

"No, not at all and I have enough money for the moment, so I'm not worried. I have a lot invested in things, so I know that at the end of the month, the bills will be paid. On the work side of things? There are a few things that I will miss, but all in all, the good outweigh the bad with my decision," I laughed as Ali started pulling faces at me as Bella brushed her hair.

That was another thing I wanted to deal with this morning.

The way Ali had been picked on yesterday and how the teacher looked on and did nothing.

After breakfast was delivered and devoured by Ali, she kissed Bella goodbye and we made our way to the car.

"Ali, I want to ask you something, can you be honest with me?" I asked her gently as I got her strapped in the car.

"Sure, Edward," she looked at me nervously, but gave me a small smile.

"Is school bad for you? I saw yesterday that a girl picked on you, do you get that much?" I asked carefully as I kept eye contact with her.

"Sometimes, they don't like me, Edward. They call me and momma names, but momma said to ignore them because they don't understand," she said quietly and I felt so heartbroken for her.

A child should be growing up having fun, not being bullied or bullying someone.


	89. Chapter 89

89. 210

"Well, I'll deal with it, okay?"

We got to the school gates and before I could even take it all in, our car was surrounded by paps.

"Dear lord," I whispered as I ran my fingers through my hair.

"Remember at the hospital that time, I carried you and you hid your face, you okay doing that again?" I asked nervously as I looked at her in the seat next to me.

She gave me a quick nod.

"It's scary," she whispered as I unbuckled her and got her to climb over to my lap.

"It's only scary if you let them scare you. I know I shouldn't tell you this, but think of them looking funny. When I made my first film, Auntie Alice said to imagine them all naked and I laughed every time I saw them with their cameras. Maybe you could think of them as clowns, or teddy bears or something," I laughed as her eyes went wide.

"Naked!" she giggled which made me laugh harder.

"Yes, it was pretty funny," I said as I wrapped my arms around her waist and got ready to open the car door.

"Ready?"

She gave me a quick nod.

"Let's go then."

I smiled as I opened the door.


	90. Chapter 90

90. 176

The noise escalated as we got out and all I could do was growl at anyone who got too close.

I ignored all questions that were fired at me until I heard Ali giggling into my neck.

"What are you thinking about?" I whispered loudly enough for her to hear me.

"There's a man behind us winking at me, and he looks like that cartoon man from Bugs Bunny," she giggled again and I turned around.

He actually did look like Elmer Fudd, scarily enough.

I chuckled to myself as I turned back around and kept on walking, thankful that she was using my suggestion of cartoons and hadn't latched onto the naked thing. Bella would kill me.

It didn't take us long to get into the school office, leaving all the paps at the gate.

"You did brilliantly, Ali," I said proudly as I put her back on the ground and kissed the top of her head.

Now it was time for nice Edward to go and for nasty Edward to come out to play.


	91. Chapter 91

91. 263

"Oh, Mr. Cullen, what a pleasant surprise," the balding headmaster said wheezily as he greeted me at his door.

Ali was sitting in the reception area until I was done with this clown.

"Let's see how pleasant this will be by the time I'm finished in here," I almost growled out, but kept myself in check because of the other young kids around me.

"Well, I hope you will leave here with pleasant memories, our school has won awards for its excellence." He grinned as he showed me into his office.

It was the basic looking type, yet I saw no pictures on his desk.

"I'll cut to the chase, I don't like this school. I don't like how your children bully each other and I _certainly_ don't like watching a child being bullied while a teacher is standing right next to them and doesn't step in. Now, I normally hate to use my position or my career to influence certain things, but when it comes to Ali-Mae Swan, well let's just say that I will use my full weight, money and influence to make this school crumble into ruins," I hissed as I watched him pale and sink back into his chair.

"Well, that's quite an accusation to make, Mr. Cullen," he breathed heavily as I laughed.

"It is, but it's all true and I'll warn you now, if Ali comes home once more upset by her surroundings here, you'll know about it," I said as I stood up and walked out of the office before he couldn't even mutter a response.


	92. Chapter 92

92. 205

I managed to zigzag through all of the students and teachers to get back to the office and after walking Ali to her class, I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and told her that I'd be back to pick her up later.

Getting back into the car was harder this time, but then a thought struck me.

_How about I used them to my advantage?_

As I walked out of the school gates, leaving the parents behind me, I smirked at the paps and just hopped up onto a wall to sit down.

It was quite comical to watch them just standing there, not knowing whether to take my picture or wait for a reaction from me first.

"You want my picture, you want my story?" I hedged and a few of them just nodded plainly.

"Okay, I'll give it to you, right here, right now," I said with a small smile as they started to snap away with their cameras and started to fire questions at me.

I held my hand up to pause them and they stopped instantly.

I kinda liked it.

"I will talk while you take pictures and write notes," I stressed as a few parents gathered round.


	93. Chapter 93

93. 481

For the next half hour or so, I filled them in on my life for the last year or so. I was careful when it came to mentioning Bella or Ali, but everything else I was open about. I told them about my drinking, the women, in fact, I was very open and kept nothing back. Their facial expressions showed different strands of shock, but it was better for them to hear about it from me than try and grab the gossip from somewhere else.

When I was done, I pointed to one person who looked eager to ask a question.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I suppose a lot of us were wondering why Forks, why here?" she asked nervously and I chuckled.

"Actually, my family comes from around here and as you can see, it's out of the way, so why not?" I smiled as she blushed.

"Is it true that you've had a big falling out with your family?" a man asked and yet again I laughed.

"Hey, you can choose your friends, but not your family. When you live and work with them, it can get a little tense sometimes. I won't go into specifics, but yes, I've had a falling out with them, but then again, who has the perfect family and gets on with them twenty-four-seven?" I smirked as he nodded knowingly.

They continued to ask a few mundane questions, but the one that threw me was if I was going to adopt Ali.

"She's like a daughter to me, but me and her mom are just friends. If, and I stress the word 'if', we were to ever go down another path, then I would be proud to call her my daughter," I said happily.

"Edward, what friggin' grief are you causing here, boy? I got traffic backed up right to the lights in town!" Charlie called out over the heads of everyone which made me laugh.

"Well, they wanted me to talk, so I did. Now they don't have to follow us twenty-four-seven to get the next scoop," I joked, but gave them all a serious look.

"Next time, Edward, can you give a little notice?" he laughed as he walked through the crowd.

"So, I take it that when I bring her to school tomorrow that you won't be here?" I stressed and they nodded in agreement.

"Cool," I grinned as Charlie walked me to the car.

"What was that stunt, Edward?" he whispered as I opened the car door.

"Just like I said, Charlie. They wanted to talk and take pictures, so I gave them what they wanted to hear and now they will leave me alone, hopefully, and I can get Ali to school without her freaking out."

"She freaked out? Do I need to do anything? He asked with worry, but I shook my head.

"Nope, everything's under control now."


	94. Chapter 94

94. 346

"You gave an interview on the steps of the school?" Bella said through gritted teeth as soon as I got in through the door.

I had spent the last couple of hours driving around town trying to find houses and a realtor who could help us out as soon as possible.

I didn't have that much luck, but a couple of the houses that I drove past looked to be okay, for now anyway.

I just needed to talk it over with Bella.

"Yeah, I mean, how did you know?" I asked as I put my keys down.

"Dad," she huffed.

Looking over her, I saw that she was in a working out kit and had been sweating.

"Doing your exercises?" I asked happily as I sat down next to her at the table.

"Yes and don't change the subject," she snapped.

_And so it begins_, I thought with a smile.

I spent the next hour explaining why I had talked to them this morning and then what I was up to for the rest of the time I was out.

She thought I was nuts, or did, until I explained why I wanted to get a house.

"But that's a lot of money, Edward, and you don't really know us, I couldn't expect you to do that for us," she said quietly, but I took her hand and kissed the back of it, just like I had in the hospital.

"Bella, we're friends and friends help each other out. Yes, it's gonna be a lot of money, but a lot less than a few years ago, so this is also a good investment. I don't want to guilt you into it, but think of Ali, not just us two. She needs her own bedroom, she needs to have friends to stay over and a garden to play in. Being cooped up in a small hotel won't be good for her in the long term, please, just think about it." I kissed her hand again as she gave me a small nod and then a smile.


	95. Chapter 95

95. 232

Eight glorious weeks had rolled on by and I was somewhere between heaven and hell.

Yesterday we, yes _we_, had signed the deed to the new house that Bella actually found in one of the local papers.

It was a medium size, four bedroom house with huge front and rear gardens. It was a five minute drive to the stores and school, but up a long enough driveway to make it look as though it was in the middle of nowhere.

We had spent hours debating on why we should go for it, how I could afford it and what people would think about Bella if she moved in with me, but in my mind it was simple.

I loved her and I would do anything for her and Ali.

She ended up having a two hour session with Maria at the hotel one night because she had a mini breakdown, but after that, she was happy to go for the house.

I had no idea what Maria had said to her, but she had been a lot calmer about money and 'us' after that.

The press had also made our lives easier, to a certain extent. They had stopped following me around all the time, but they had turned their attention to others in the town. The majority of them were kind enough to keep their mouths shut, but a few weren't.


	96. Chapter 96

96. 188

It had been released to the press about Bella's history and it broke her down again. Maria came back to the hotel, but included me in the session that time.

We talked over everything and they filled me in on a few things that I hadn't known about before.

Bella knew that it wasn't her fault, that she wasn't to blame at all for how James had treated her, or about Ali being born prematurely, but it still hurt her.

She had fought so hard to move on with her life for the sake of Ali, but with the press running the stories, it just made it all fresh in her mind again, like it had just happened.

She was strong though, she was a fighter.

And today we would be fighting another thing.

Shopping.

We needed to go to Port Angeles to get some stuff for her and Ali, but she hated the idea.

"Trust me, Bella, we need to do this," I laughed as she glared at me.

"I can do it for Ali, but not me," she moaned as I strapped Ali into the car.


	97. Chapter 97

97. 222

"Edward, I'm getting tired," Bella whined as we eventually loaded the last of the bags into the car.

The day had been hard for Bella, both mentally and physically, but she got through it.

Ali on the other hand, hadn't.

The poor girl had fallen asleep as I carried her through the last store and was now snoring in the back seat.

"I think we need to get back to the hotel, get Ali in bed and have a nice relaxing evening in front of the TV, how does that sound?" I asked and I didn't need a reply.

I just watched the smile appear on her lips.

It didn't take long, with a bit of help from the hotel staff, to get our stuff up into our room.

In three days, we would be leaving here and moving into our new home and I couldn't wait.

I knew for a fact that this wouldn't be an easy move, because while we had been here at the hotel, it had been a novelty, almost playacting. Almost. The reality was so much better than any script that could have been written.

When we moved, it would be our own place, with proper rules in place for Ali and a completely different dynamic set up to what it was now.

It would be real.


	98. Chapter 98

98. 270

"I often wonder what goes through your mind when you look like that. You have a pinched type look between your brows, it's kinda cute," Bella giggled as we sat on the couch waiting for the film to start.

I smiled widely at her before cocking my head to the side to properly look at her.

Her hair was now a good inch or two long now and she liked to go without the scarf if she could help it. The scar on her head was hardly visible now, which seemed to make her more confident.

Her skin was, as always, just as pale, but it did have a beautiful glow to it now that made her look really healthy.

"What are you looking at?" she asked with another giggle.

"You, and how healthy you look now," I said honestly.

"I'm happy because I have you and Ali looking after me."

~(*)~

Watching a film was the worst thing ever known to man.

Seriously, we both thought Top Gun would be a good choice and then I forgot about the sex scene.

Bella squirmed uncomfortably in her seat to the point where I had to turn it off.

"Talk to me," I said quietly.

She brought her hands up to her face and shook her head.

"Bella, please," I implored, starting to get worried.

"It's embarrassing," her muffled voice flittered through her fingers.

I chuckled lightly as I pried her fingers away from her face.

"It's me, Bella. The man who has seen and done most things, you know me, I won't judge," I said honestly again and waited for her to reply.


	99. Chapter 99

99. 227

"I, I'm confused with myself. On one hand I'm shit scared of being intimate, well no, that's wrong. I'm not scared by it, I'm scared by any reaction or flashbacks that I'll get. And on the other hand, I'm a twenty-one year old woman who got turned on by watching a film. Edward, I've never even been _kissed_ and yet I have these feelings that I don't understand. Is that even normal?" she asked with a slight desperation in her voice and I had no idea what to say.

"Have you spoken to Maria about this?"

"No, I don't even know how to start that type of conversation. Through all the years of therapy, it's just been about me getting stronger, learning to deal with being a young mom and how it wasn't my fault. I've never once talked about any type of intimacy with another man, because quite frankly, until recently, there hasn't been anyone," she blushed gently as she looked down to her lap.

"Bella, I remember doing a sociology class, God, back in college when I didn't fall asleep. Some bits stuck with me and some didn't, but can I share a bit of it with you?" I asked as I took her hand and angled my body so I could look at her properly.

She gave me a small nod, so I continued.


	100. Chapter 100

100. 233

"Nature and nurture. They're two very different things. I think how I remembered it was that nature is what you're born with and nurture is how you're shaped. Naturally your body craves things, likes the look of things and with nurture, it's how you were raised to like things and look at things. Now, I'm not saying this and expecting much of it to make sense, because quite frankly, I don't understand how anyone can defy you as a person and take advantage, but this is about you, not him. Anyway, _naturally_, you got turned on, you liked what you saw and you have 'urges'. With the _nurture_, you know what he did was wrong, you know that when you may get intimate, you might have flashbacks. Look, what I'm trying to say, without rambling too much is, go with your nature. If it gets too much, you stop. You talk, re-group and most of all, don't push yourself or get angry with yourself because it will make it worse," I finished talking quietly, hoping that what I said had even made sense.

To be honest, although we hadn't done anything together, except hold hands, I was absolutely shitting myself about doing anything else with her.

I was scared to push her back, to do more damage, to hinder her recovery.

I think we would _both _have to speak to Maria and very soon.


	101. Chapter 101

101. 244

A knock on the door woke me up from a deep sleep and I was pissed.

It was still dark outside and Ali needed her rest.

It was now the night before the big move to the house and I had to be there for eight in the morning because of all of the planned deliveries that were turning up.

I stumbled my way through the suite to get the door before whoever it was knocked again.

When I opened it, a member of staff was standing there, looking as tired as I felt.

"I have a message for you, Mr. Cullen. Mrs. Whitlock has gone into labor and is asking for Miss Swan," he said quietly as he tried to peer over my shoulder into the suite.

"Thanks, I'll let her know," I grumbled as I shut the door.

I hadn't seen any of my family since the day I turned up at the hospital to get Bella, not even dad.

And I was now shitting it again.

This was an important day for Alice and Jasper, but I didn't want it marred by me being there and causing grief.

I decided that I would let Ali sleep, quickly drive Bella to the hospital, if she wanted to go, and then drive back until she needed me to pick her up. I was sure that hotel staff would keep an eye on Ali and I would only be gone ten minutes at most.


	102. Chapter 102

102. 171

I woke Bella up, trying carefully not to wake up Ali, but it didn't work.

It was now five in the morning and once Ali was awake, that was it for the day.

"Auntie Alice is having the baby?" she asked quietly as I got her dressed.

"She is, and she wants your momma to be there with her, so it's just going to be just us today, I think," I grinned as expertly brushed her hair and put it up into a ponytail.

Twenty minutes later and we all wrapped up to go to the hospital.

The roads were clear, which was not surprising, but the closer we got, the more I found myself slowing down the car.

"Edward, if you can't do this, just take Ali to the cafeteria, don't push yourself if you're not ready to face them," Bella said softly as she interlaced her fingers through mine.

"You're perfect, did you know that?" I smiled softly as I pulled up into the parking lot of the hospital.


	103. Chapter 103

103. 292

**BPOV.**

"You're perfect, did you know that?" he asked as the car came to a stop and I smiled at him.

"I'm far from that, Edward, but I'm learning from the master," I laughed a little as I unbuckled the belt, "Ali, be a good girl for Edward and I'll give you a call in a little while," I said as I turned around in my seat to give her a kiss goodbye.

What shocked the hell out of me was when I turned back around, I instinctually leant in and kissed Edward on the cheek.

"Erm… yeah, I'll call you later," I said in a rush and I blushed a thousand shades of red and dashed out of the car, leaving him sitting there dumbstruck.

I was still blushing by the time I got to the labor wing where Alice was supposed to be, according to the receptionist at the front of the hospital.

I had calmed down by the time I got to the waiting room, but now another set of emotions hit me.

Nervousness and fear.

I didn't know how I would get through this without Edward. The last time I'd been in a delivery room was to have Ali and just like my fear of advancing things with Edward because of the potential trigger effects, I was now worried the same might happen watching Alice give birth.

He truly had been my rock since I had met him and yes, his past was not that good, but that was it, his past. I had no right to judge him on it, just as much as he couldn't judge mine. And Christ did I have a past.

I took a deep breath before knocking on the door to her room.


	104. Chapter 104

104. 268

Jasper opened it a minute later, looking beyond tired, but gave me a small smile as he opened it wider to let me in.

"Thanks," I said softly as I looked down to the floor.

I knew he would never hurt me, ever, and he didn't even really look like James, but with his hair and eyes, it got a little too much for me.

"Bella! Oh God, Bella, make them give me the drugs, please!" Alice cried out as soon as she saw me.

I looked around the room to see that all the family was there, everyone.

Why the hell had she asked me to come in as well.

"Alice, you've had all that you can and you have to wait for the epidural, don't get worked up," Jasper soothed her as he walked over to her side.

"It's nice to see you again, Bella," Carlisle said caringly as he came over to hug me.

It had been weeks since I'd seen them all.

I pulled away from him and saw that everyone just smiled at me.

I didn't know what the hell to do.

"Where's Edward, because I think I need to rip him a new one for not being here," Alice whimpered into Jasper's shoulder as I took in the bleeping of the machines.

I remembered that.

I remembered hearing Ali before I even held her.

Flashbacks of the hospital, the smell, the nurses, everything hit me as I froze in my spot.

The social workers, dad calling me from outside the door.

My tears, the stinging sensation they gave my cheeks.

The pain.


	105. Chapter 105

105. 243

"Bella, breathe, Bella," I heard Carlisle's voice filter through my panic as he led me out of the room.

"Bella, calm down," he said softly as he wrapped his arms around me tightly and rocked me side to side.

"I'm sorry, so sorry, I don't think I can do this," I gasped out against his chest.

"Bella, Alice knew that you might not have come, but to come here, even with what you went through, shows that you have so much courage. Now, where is that boy of mine? He should be here to support you," he chuckled as he pulled away.

"He's getting Ali breakfast in the cafeteria until the deliveries turn up for the house," I mumbled, not knowing how he would take the news about us having a house.

"Get that look off of your face, Bella. Edward knows what he's doing and so does half the town, if not more. We're just pleased that he seems to have calmed down and that is down to you and Ali, so thank-you. I know it will be hard for him to forgive the family, but we do love him very much and are very proud of the way he has looked after you two." Carlisle kissed the top of my head just as a small cough came from behind me.

I turned in Carlisle's arms to see a nervous looking Edward standing there, with Ali gripping hold of his hand tightly.


	106. Chapter 106

106. 286

"I need to get back to Alice, but Edward, please stay, if not here, at least in the waiting room. She wants you here," he said quietly as he let go of me and walked back into Alice's room.

"It was too much, I couldn't stay in there," I mumbled as Edward took my hand and led me to the waiting room.

"That's understandable," he replied gently.

When we went to sit down, I pulled Ali into my lap and tried to block out my memories of the day when I had her.

They weren't bad, apart from her being premature, but for a thirteen year old they were bad, as bad as you could get.

"Bella, it was amazing in itself that you even went in that room, please don't punish yourself. Alice knows you're here and that will be enough for her, I promise you that," it was Jasper that was talking now.

My head snapped up to meet his soft smile and I returned one.

"When we were younger, really young, we used to joke about marrying Joey and Jordan from New Kids on the Block. When we had kids, I would name mine after Alice and she would name hers after me. It was so silly at the time, really silly, but I remembered that day when Ali was born, it was all I could think about. I lost my childhood, I lost Alice, but I got a little bit of her back when I looked at Ali when she was born. I never thought I would get the chance to be here to see a child of hers born," I sniffed painfully as Edward wrapped his arm around me and Ali.


	107. Chapter 107

107. 204

"Do you want me to come back in there with you?" Edward whispered in my ear as I looked between Jasper and the door.

"Please," I stammered.

"I've got to go and get her Ladyship some drinks, so why don't I walk Ali down there with me and you two can have a few minutes to catch up with everyone?" Jasper asked carefully as I turned to look at Edward.

I knew he was as nervous about that room as I was.

"Come on," I smiled as I walked Ali over to Jasper.

She went happily with Jasper and I turned back around to face Edward.

"What they did was inexcusable, they shouldn't have made decisions for us, but in their own way they were just trying to do what's best, just like I cut Charlie out of my life. What I thought I was doing at the time was the right thing, and we've all been there, Edward," I said as I walked back over to him.

I picked up his hands and got him to stand up and in a fit of bravery, I reached up on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek again.

This time I didn't blush.

But he did.


	108. Chapter 108

108. 277

**EPOV**

Bella was, without a doubt, the most selfless person I had ever met and if she gave me the chance, I would show her everyday how much I loved her for it.

A minute or two later found me knocking gently on the door of Alice's room and to be honest, I was scared stiff.

Holding my head high and with Bella's hand in mine, we walked into the small room quietly.

You could cut the atmosphere with a knife, but I didn't say anything or look at anyone but Alice.

She was huge compared to when we'd last seen each other and I wanted to kick myself at how much I had missed out on.

"Get over here you fucking idiot," Alice snapped at me, but I saw the smirk on her face.

I gave her a small smile back and started to walk over to her, not letting go of Bella's hand.

"You will _never _cut me out like that again, you _will_ let me decorate your next house while you _still_ live in it and I swear to God that I'm going to plan your wedding and put you through fucking hell, just like you've made me go through it," she gritted out as she took my spare hand and gripped it with such force that I cowered in front of everyone.

Only Alice would threaten me with that stuff and actually mean it. I hated to be around her when she decorated or moved things about because she would always rope me into doing girlie things with her.

And as for a wedding? Well, I wasn't there yet.

_Yet_ was good though, right?


	109. Chapter 109

109. 201

"Alice, one step at a time, please?" I chuckled as she gripped my hand impossibly closer.

"Not a chance," she growled out as the family laughed.

I instantly got hit with shivers dancing up my spine.

I didn't even know what to say to them.

"Alice, we have Ali with us, so we're going to go and sit in the waiting room, okay?" Bella asked kindly, but I could sense the panic in her eyes.

She didn't want to be in here, but yet again, she wasn't thinking about herself.

"Fine, but if you leave, I'm going to chase after the pair of you," Alice replied with a tight smile.

~(*)~

Marissa Isabelle Whitlock was born six hours later, weighing a healthy eight pounds.

It was a tense time as the whole family, apart from Jasper and mom, were in the waiting room with us.

We had exchanged a few words, but that was it.

Mr. Cope had been a Godsend and stayed at our new house, once he came by to grab the keys, and Mrs. Cope had taken Ali out to lunch.

All the family had their chance of seeing Alice and holding Marissa and then it was our turn.


	110. Chapter 110

110. 256

We walked quietly into the room to see Alice sitting up in bed, not a hair out of place, and holding a small bundle of pink blankets.

The next few minutes were spent with Alice and Bella crying softly over the baby while Jasper and I shared looks.

We left the room a while later and I think both of us let out huge breaths that we had been holding in.

"She's beautiful," Bella mused as we walked towards the exit.

It got me thinking.

"Do you think you would like any more? Babies, I mean?"

She stopped walking and turned to look at me, really look at me.

"I would love a boy, I always have, but I think the age gap between a baby and Ali would be too big. I don't know, maybe, I haven't really thought about it," she said in reply, "What about you?" she asked, almost hopeful?

I thought briefly and then smiled.

"You want me to be honest?" I asked and she nodded. "I would love to give Ali a little brother or sister. I want to see her momma full of our baby, being cared for, loved and cherished," I waited with bated breath to see what her reaction was going to be.

What I didn't expect was for her to reach up on her tiptoes and give me the softest, gentlest kiss on my lips.

I was stunned.

"I think we _both_ need to talk to Maria very soon," she said with a shy smile.

"I agree."


	111. Chapter 111

111. 227

"I think you young ladies have done an amazing job!" I laughed out as I put the screwdriver down and looked at the two young loves in my life as they read a book on the new two seater couch in Ali's bedroom.

I had finally managed to put Ali's bed together, completely ignoring the instructions, just as a man should, and was smiling with pride.

"You did a great job, honey," Bella said endearingly as she closed the book.

Ali was now fast asleep against Bella's side and they looked adorable together.

"I want to get in touch with Jasper over the next week or two and get Sasha, Dillon and the pups over here. I know Ali misses them and now that we have the space, I think it would be good for her," I said as I lifted the mattress onto the purple frame.

"I think that's a great idea, but maybe dad could go and get them? I think Jasper will have too much on his plate with Alice and Marissa."

And that's what happened.

Two days later, Charlie pulled up to our new house for dinner, which Bella insisted on cooking, with the all the dogs in the back of his cruiser.

The look on Ali's face was priceless when we let her open the door and the dogs came bounding in.


	112. Chapter 112

112. 291

The rest of the night was spent in a fit of laughter as Ali bonded with the dogs again as us adults watch on while they all rolled around on the floor.

When it was Ali's bedtime, Bella took her up, leaving me and Charlie in the den.

Awkwardly.

"They seem happy," he mused as he looked about the room. It hadn't even been unpacked yet, but Bella insisted that I had a place away from her and Ali.

I thought it was rubbish, but I didn't argue with her.

"I think they are, or I should say that I _hope_ they are," I mumbled as Charlie looked at me.

"Edward, don't be nervous around me. Everyone I know can see how much you have helped those girls out and how much you love them, but let me tell you something. They love you, too. I want to be the hard father who lectures you, to tell you to look after them, but I can't. You've been there when I wasn't, you looked after them when I should have fought to protect them. All I will say is that when the time is right, you'll both know and you can move on, enjoy that view that you told Bella about, together," he said with a small smirk and I was floored.

_He just given me permission, his blessing, right?_

Charlie left a little while later after saying goodnight to Bella.

I was on cloud nine.

"Dance with me?" I asked as I picked up the remote for the stereo and turned it on.

Bella walked slowly into my embrace and for rest of the night we just moved gently, enjoying each other and the soft music together.

It was pure perfection.


	113. Chapter 113

113. 186

The weeks rolled on by, we had meetings with Maria, several in fact, and Christmas was fast approaching.

Bella and I didn't exactly want to trawl through the shops in either Forks or Port Angeles, so we spent a long weekend snuggled up in the house, in front of the real fireplace and ordered everything that we needed online.

Jasper and I had been speaking on the phone and Alice had popped round one evening for a night out away from Marissa. We had talked, _really_ talked, and although not everything was resolved between us, it was a lot better than what it had been.

Jasper had informed me that although he was no longer working for me, which we both kinda liked, he was still getting calls for appearances and interviews.

I had shot them all down, but now I was thinking about something else.

It was time for my family to have trust in me and for the press to become performing monkeys instead of me for a change.

With a new determination, I started making some plans.

Christmas would not be at home.


	114. Chapter 114

114. 360

I was nervous as hell.

If this went wrong, I would not only lose her, but everyone would be witness to it.

No one in the family knew of my plans, just Ali.

When I told her, she was so excited that I think she made my ears bleed a little, but she soon calmed down. She wanted to know when I would do it and where, but I wouldn't tell her. I told her that it was going to be a surprise.

I had booked tickets for the whole family, including Charlie, for a Christmas break at Disney studios, or so they thought.

Jasper had told me that the Today Show called me and asked if I would do an interview with them.

It was arranged that I would do an interview for tomorrow, so we were all flying down to L.A this afternoon.

I promised that I would show Ali around a few sets, but she had no clue as to what my real intentions were.

I had been on the phone to the studio for most of yesterday, arranging everything. To say they were accommodating was an understatement and were only too happy to help me out.

I just needed to get my nerves in check.

We arrived in our private jet a little after seven in the evening and were quickly ushered into a waiting limo.

Only Jasper, Alice and Marissa travelled with us, the rest were going by first class.

The press were out in full force, but the studio had laid on excellent security because they had released a statement stating that I was going to give an exclusive, one off story... on live TV.

Both Bella and Ali looked nervous, but I wrapped my arms around both of them and tried to shield them away from the snapping cameras on the other side of the limo door.

This was how my life was and I knew how to deal with it, but they didn't, they didn't have a clue.

We got to the hotel in record time and got settled in before having a quick dinner and then got Ali to bed.


	115. Chapter 115

115. 205

The morning came quickly and I found myself pacing the floor and watching the clock.

The studio was sending over another limo for us and one for the family. They would be in the crowd watching while Ali and Bella were backstage. I didn't know how I would get through this if I could actually see Bella watching me.

The phone in the suite rang, letting me know that the car was waiting for us, and I had to wipe the palms of my hands on my jeans.

"Don't be so nervous, you've done this plenty of times," Bella gently chided me as we held hands in the car.

_I hadn't done _this_ before, trust me,_ I thought as we pulled up to the back of the studio.

The next hour was spent in make-up, going over the schedule and other pointless things and then it was time.

I left Bella and Ali watching the show in the green room backstage and I was ushered to my spot, waiting to be called on stage.

As soon as my name was called, all the nerves in me vanished. I didn't know who pulled what magic, but I was calm.

Instantly.

I wanted this.

I _needed _this.


	116. Chapter 116

116. 572

The interview went well, they were polite in their questions and I found that I was gushing about Ali more than anything. How she liked to wake us up in the mornings, how she helped Bella with dinner, everything I could tell them about her and I did.

I was so proud of that little girl.

"So, Edward, I hear that you have a surprise planned for us, or someone, here today?" I was asked and I chuckled slightly.

"Yes, sir, yes I do. It's for Bella and Ali," I smiled widely as I stood up.

A moment later I was crossing the stage to pick up the guitar that they had loaned me and I smiled at the in-house band.

"I haven't sung a song like this since the soundtrack to one of my first films, so I apologize if I come across as a little rusty," I joked and the audience gave a little laugh in return.

"So anyway, I want to sing this song for Bella. It says everything," I mumbled as I let my fingers feel the strings, taught against my skin.

_Everytime our eyes meet_

_This feeling inside me_

_Is almost more than I can take_

_Baby, when you touch me_

_I can feel how much you love me_

_And it just blows me away_

_I've never been this close to anyone or anything_

_I can hear your thoughts, I can see your dreams_

_I don't know how you do what you do_

_I'm so in love with you_

_It just keeps getting better_

_I wanna spend the rest of my life_

_With you by my side_

_Forever and ever_

_Every little thing that you do_

_Baby, I'm amazed by you_

_The smell of your skin_

_The taste of your kiss_

_The way you whisper in the dark_

_Your hair all around me_

_Baby, you surround me_

_You touch every place in my heart_

_Oh, it feels like the first time every time_

_I wanna spend the whole night in your eyes_

_I don't know how you do what you do_

_I'm so in love with you_

_It just keeps getting better_

_I wanna spend the rest of my life_

_With you by my side_

_Forever and ever_

I kept my eyes on the chords the whole time that I sang. I didn't want to see everyone's faces when I was thinking of Bella.

_Every little thing that you do_

_Baby, I'm amazed by you_

I felt _something_, I couldn't place it, but it caused me to look up and to my right. There, standing on the edge of the cameras, were Bella and Ali. Bella had tears streaming down her, but she had a huge smile on her face.

_Every little thing that you do_

_I'm so in love with you_

_It just keeps getting better_

_I wanna spend the rest of my life_

_With you by my side_

_Forever and ever_

_Every little thing that you do_

_Oh, every little thing that you do_

_Baby, I'm amazed by you_

"Marry me, Bella?" I asked softly as my fingers strummed the very last chord of the song.

Despite the whole audience, and God knows how many millions of viewers watching, Bella ran across the whole set and I hardly had chance to put down the guitar before she ran into my arms, Ali tagging along behind her.


	117. Chapter 117

117. 104

"Yes, a million times!" she gasped into my neck quietly and all I could do was laugh and spin her around on the spot.

Once the crowd had calmed down with their cheering and whistles, I put Bella back down on the ground to scoop up Ali.

"Are you my daddy now?" she asked hopefully.

"I'll be whatever you want me to be, princess," I kissed her cheek loudly which caused her and Bella to laugh happily.

I looked out to the audience to see my family there, the women in tears and the men comforting them.

We would be okay.

And we were.


	118. Chapter 118

118. 270

Bella and I married each other on June first, just six months after I proposed at Christmas.

Alice was true to her word and helped her best friend plan everything down to the finest detail.

It was perfection.

That was yesterday and the best day of my life so far.

We were now travelling to Canada, a place where Bella had always wanted to visit.

I had rented a little cabin in the middle of nowhere and I couldn't wait to get there and spend some alone time with my wife.

_Hmm, that would take some getting used to._

Over the last six months, we had spoken to Maria at least once a week. Not only had we talked through our intimacy concerns, but also how Ali would feel about the changing dynamics of the family.

She wanted me to be her dad, but that meant that she would have to follow my rules just like her momma's.

It was interesting, to say the least, the first time I had to tell her off for misbehaving.

I hated to do it and she hated me for doing it, but Maria talked us through it and our relationship had been better than ever.

As had our intimacy.

We hadn't gone all the way, both of us wanting to wait until we were married, but we had slowly but surely done near enough everything else.

Bella had issues with locking up on me and panicking, then of course feeling guilty afterwards, but again, Maria was there to talk us through stuff that could help and it had.

Now we were both ready.


	119. Chapter 119

119. 212

"Put me down!" Bella screeched as I swung her up in my arms and carried her over the threshold.

"Nope, husband's privileges and I have a license for it issued by the State of Washington," I laughed back as I placed her gently on the ground and kissed her tenderly.

We spent the rest of the day being lazy, eating junk food and watching crappy romantic films.

I was in heaven.

By the time bedtime came around, both of us had turned into nervous stuttering teenagers, but in the end, we laughed it off.

It was just us.

We showered together and giggled as we brushed our teeth at the same sink.

Teenagers indeed.

"I love you," Bella said sweetly as she finished up and my heart soared again.

She had first told me loved me when Ali fell over on our Christmas vacation. She had let go of her balloon and tried to chase it, causing her to lose her footing. She had a nasty scrape on her knee that I kissed better, then got her another balloon, bigger than the one she had lost.

Bella stood to the side the whole time and just watched me care for my daughter.

Yes, Ali was mine, it was as simple as that.


	120. Chapter 120

120. 345

"I love you too, Bella, more than you could ever know," I said as we walked to the bed.

It wasn't fancy, there wasn't any soft music or muted light and candles.

We didn't need that.

We just needed each other.

"I'm ready, Edward, you know I am, so please, don't worry," she whispered as she laid down on the bed and pulled me with her.

I was ready too, but that didn't mean that I couldn't worship her and take it slowly.

I wanted to savor this.

I gently caressed her skin, making sure I touched every inch as she watched with lust firmly etched in her eyes.

I smirked when she got frustrated and gave in, giving her a little more attention in some places and a little less in others.

I kissed her, touched her, nipped at her skin playfully, I _loved_ her, with everything that I had.

And then it was time.

We both knew it.

All she did was give me a small, shy nod as I lined myself up to her, praying that she would be okay, that we would be okay.

"I love you, Bella," I whispered against her lips as I slipped ever so slowly into her, giving her time and reassurance.

"I love you, too," she whimpered back to me as she closed her eyes, but I didn't want that.

"Look at me, sweetheart, I need to see those eyes." They told me more than anything else did.

Her eyes fluttered open and she gave me the sweetest smile as I started to move, telling her how much I loved her, cherished her.

I wanted her to know that this was me, us, together like this. She had no reason to fear me. I knew she wouldn't, but I wanted to tell her all the same.

Nothing was rushed, it was slow and sensual as I brought her to orgasm and I followed soon after.

We held each other as we drifted off to sleep that night and I would never want to be anywhere else.


	121. Chapter 121

121. 225

**BPOV**

When Jack was born, just a year after we got married, I had a flashback to the day Emmett met me.

I had just come out of Maria's office and I was in a state.

I walked right out in front of his truck and luckily he had swerved in time to miss me.

That didn't stop him scooping me up, despite my protests, and taking me to meet his wife, Rose.

She double checked that I was okay and while I was there, we ended up talking and the next thing I knew I was hired to cook for the family.

I loved it, being around small children, cooking, and the house always busy.

That was until I met Edward 'dick' Cullen, as I used to call him.

I knew from early on that I was attracted to him, even if it was only a little bit, but I made myself hate him.

If he had known the truth about me, he would have been revolted and it was easy enough to hate him. If I hated him, it would have been easier to handle anything he threw back in my face.

Or so I thought.

He did throw things back in my face, he said harsh words, he glared and hissed at me.

I prayed that those words wouldn't hurt, but they had.


	122. Chapter 122

122. 362

What hurt more, was when I woke up in the hospital after my accident and seeing his eyes, full of pain, no matter how hard he tried to not show me.

Over the course of time I healed, in more ways than one and Edward was by my side the whole time.

Even when I had Jack and things were touch and go with me, he was still there, refusing to leave my side.

He was there when Ali had her first invitation to a sleep over.

I wasn't stupid, I knew what he had said in the school that day when Ali was bullied. She told me that he must have been naughty because he was in the headmaster's room.

I was proud of him.

He had done something for Ali without even thinking about what would come of it, he just loved her and wanted to protect her.

He was also there the day Ali went to her first formal dance.

He chaperoned the dance in order to keep an eye on the boy she had a crush on, but he was respectful enough to keep the glares down to a minimum.

He was also there the day Ali got married.

It was harder than ever to watch him watching her drive off on her honeymoon to the same cabin that Edward and I had shared on ours.

What was the hardest thing to witness was seeing Edward cry the day his first grandchild was placed into his arms. Ali was only twenty-two, but she was so grown up and I think having little Marcus placed in his arms showed him that.

Their bond was so strong, nothing would ever break it.

"What are you up to?" Edward asked as he came out of the door and sat next to me on the swing.

"Thinking," I smiled as I took his hand in mine.

"About what?" he pushed, which made me laugh out loud.

"Everything, life, the kids, you."

"All good things then," he laughed too as I raised his hand to my mouth and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it.

"Yep, everything is good, _perfect_ even."

**~THE END~**


End file.
